NewsWhore
08-24-2006, 03:30 PM
Large and small private clinics as well as different hospitals in Santo Domingo are reporting a rise in dengue cases. Centro Medico Real is currently treating 10 cases and the General Hospital at Plaza de la Salud receives between three and five cases daily, as reported by Listin Diario.
Dengue is not known to affect tourists as the conditions under which it occurs are not those of tourist areas - such as open fresh water bins. Dengue fever, caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. In its acute form, dengue is characterized by flu-like symptoms including severe pain in the head, eyes, muscles and joints. Some patients, particularly infants and children, develop "dengue hemorrhagic fever", a severe and sometimes fatal variation involving circulatory failure and shock. The incidence of both forms of dengue infection has recently been increasing, as expanding urbanization enlarges the regions inhabited by the Aedes mosquito vector. Mosquitoes capable of transmitting this disease are also found within the United States.
Dengue fever is more prevalent when it has been raining constantly.
Victims typically experience a sudden high fever, headache and intense body pain about 5-8 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. A measles-like rash near day 3 of the fever can help distinguish dengue from other tropical illnesses.
The acute illness usually concludes on its own after about a week, but fatigue and depression can last for weeks or months in some cases.
There is no vaccine against dengue. The best protection is to use repellents. While most mosquitos bite between dusk and dawn, Aedes mosquitos are most active during the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. They usually breed in urban areas in man-made containers filled with relatively clean water. The Dominican government carries out major public health campaigns to make people aware of the dangers of storaging uncovered water.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
Dengue is not known to affect tourists as the conditions under which it occurs are not those of tourist areas - such as open fresh water bins. Dengue fever, caused by a mosquito-borne flavivirus, is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. In its acute form, dengue is characterized by flu-like symptoms including severe pain in the head, eyes, muscles and joints. Some patients, particularly infants and children, develop "dengue hemorrhagic fever", a severe and sometimes fatal variation involving circulatory failure and shock. The incidence of both forms of dengue infection has recently been increasing, as expanding urbanization enlarges the regions inhabited by the Aedes mosquito vector. Mosquitoes capable of transmitting this disease are also found within the United States.
Dengue fever is more prevalent when it has been raining constantly.
Victims typically experience a sudden high fever, headache and intense body pain about 5-8 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. A measles-like rash near day 3 of the fever can help distinguish dengue from other tropical illnesses.
The acute illness usually concludes on its own after about a week, but fatigue and depression can last for weeks or months in some cases.
There is no vaccine against dengue. The best protection is to use repellents. While most mosquitos bite between dusk and dawn, Aedes mosquitos are most active during the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. They usually breed in urban areas in man-made containers filled with relatively clean water. The Dominican government carries out major public health campaigns to make people aware of the dangers of storaging uncovered water.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)