Guyana on high alert after dengue fever outbreak in the Americas

Jul 23, 2023 Features / Columnists, Health Facts, News

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Health Facts

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms. The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death. This week’s health fact focuses on the mosquito-borne disease which affects millions of people globally, each year.

While dengue fever is most common in Southeast Asia, the western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa, since the beginning of 2023, dengue outbreaks of significant magnitude have been recorded in the WHO Region of the Americas.

There are close to three million suspected and confirmed cases of dengue reported so far this year, surpassing the 2.8 million cases of dengue registered for the entire year of 2022. The highest number of dengue cases to date in 2023 is in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Additionally, 1302 deaths were reported in the Region with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.04%, in the same period.

As such, Guyana has been on high alert for cases related to the disease.

The WHO has assessed the risk of dengue as high at the regional level due to the wide spread distribution of the Aedes spp. mosquitoes (especially Aedes aegypti), the continued risk of severe disease and death, and the expansion out of historical areas of transmission, where all the population, including risk groups and healthcare workers, may not be aware of warning signs.

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Researchers are working on dengue fever vaccines. For now, in areas where dengue fever is common, the best ways to prevent infection are to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and to take steps to reduce the mosquito population.

Symptoms

Many people experience no signs or symptoms of a dengue infection. When symptoms do occur, they may be mistaken for other illnesses — such as the flu — and usually begin four to 10 days after you are bitten by an infected mosquito.

Dengue fever causes a high fever — 104 F (40 C) — and any of the following signs and symptoms: headache, muscle, bone or joint pain, nausea, vomiting, pain behind the eyes, swollen glands and rash.

Most people recover within a week or so. In some cases, symptoms worsen and can become life-threatening. This is called severe dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome.

Severe dengue happens when your blood vessels become damaged and leaky. And the number of clot-forming cells (platelets) in your bloodstream drops. This can lead to shock, internal bleeding, organ failure and even death. Warning signs of severe dengue fever — usually begin the first day or two after your fever goes away, and may include severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding from your gums or nose, blood in your urine, stools or vomit, bleeding under the skin, which might look like bruising, difficult or rapid breathing, fatigue, irritability or restlessness.

When to see a doctor

Severe dengue fever is a life-threatening medical emergency. Seek immediate medical attention if you’ve recently visited an area in which dengue fever is known to occur, you have had a fever and you develop any of the warning signs. Warning signs include severe stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or blood in your nose, gums, vomit or stools.appointment

Causes

Dengue fever is spread by two types of mosquitoes that are common both in and around human lodgings. When a mosquito bites a person infected with a dengue virus, the virus enters the mosquito. Then, when the infected mosquito bites another person, the virus enters that person’s bloodstream and causes an infection.

Prevention

In areas of the world where dengue fever is common, one dengue fever vaccine (Dengvaxia) is approved for people ages 9 to 45 that have already had dengue fever at least once. The vaccine is given in three doses over the course of 12 months.

The vaccine is approved only for people who have a documented history of dengue fever or who have had a blood test that shows previous infection with one of the dengue viruses — called seropositivity. In people who have not had dengue fever in the past (seronegative), receiving the vaccine appears to increase the risk of severe dengue fever and hospitalization due to dengue fever in the future.

Prevent mosquito bites

The World Health Organization stresses that the vaccine is not an effective tool on its own to reduce dengue fever in areas where the illness is common. Preventing mosquito bites and controlling the mosquito population are still the main methods for preventing the spread of dengue fever. Staying in air-conditioned or well-screened housing, wearing protective clothing, using mosquito repellent and reducing mosquito habitat are key in preventing the illness from being spread.

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• Americas, Dengue, fever, outbreak, Rehanna Ramsay

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