Guyana recording 100 new dengue infections per week

Jul 25, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Dengue cases in Guyana are rapidly increasing, according to information obtained from the Ministry of Health.

Guyana now has over three hundred cases of new infections. Kaieteur News understands that the infections per week are close 100 persons with majority of those cases being recorded in Regions Two, Three, Four and Five.

As a result, the Ministry of Health has been issuing warning notices and public messages for citizens to safeguard against being infected by mosquito-borne illness. The Ministry of Health has been working to track the spread of the disease as it unfolds with the hope of properly addressing the matter.

As such, staffers at the Vector Control Board of the Ministry of Health have already increased their fogging exercise. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne illness that occurs in tropical and sub-tropical 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.

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

Dengue Fever is spread by mosquito bites

The World Health Organization (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.

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.

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 fever is a life-threatening medical emergency. Warning signs include severe stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or blood in your nose, gums, vomit or stools. 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.

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Dengue, fever, ministry, mosquito bites, spread

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