Eliminate mosquito breeding sites to guard against dengue | Sunday Observer
Medi snips:

Eliminate mosquito breeding sites to guard against dengue

31 October, 2021

While Dengue cases have plunged compared to the previous year, health officials have said that that reports of suspected dengue continue to be received by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, urging the public to remove all containers and sites that attract the dengue carrying vector, the Aedes Egypti.

Some 31,162 suspected dengue cases have been reported for 2020 and 14,274 suspected dengue cases have been reported to the Epidemiology Unit from all over the island from January 2021 to up to now.

The Western Province holds the dubious distinction of leading the rest of the provinces in the number of reported cases, with 44.4 percent of dengue cases.

Starting with 1,908 cases in January followed by a sharp drop of a 1,000 in February, the numbers began climbing in April and in July peaked at 2,533. However, due to interventions by the health officials and MOHs and PHIs, the numbers of cases registered a sharp drop, with October figures up to 25 now just 586.

Health officials said that the current weather conditions with short bursts of sunshine followed by heavy rains leaving pools of water everywhere could lead to a dengue outbreak and that the unreported cases may be much higher than those officially recorded.

An unnamed official said parents and school authorities of primary schoolchildren as well as schoolchildren should be responsible for keep the school premises free of mosquito breeding sites and children encouraged to use garbage bins to dump their used lunch packets. 

Dengue can cause disease in two forms: (a) Dengue Fever (DF) – marked by an onset of high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash. (b) Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) – is a more severe form, seen only in a small proportion of those infected. Typically DHF is characterised by high continuous fever for less than seven days; bleeding from various parts of the body (including nose, mouth and gums or skin bruising); severe continuous abdominal pain mainly due to enlarged liver, and shock in severe cases. This can lead to death. DHF is more serious in children. Fever is a self-limiting disease.

“It is important that you seek medical attention if you develop fever and get laboratory investigations done at least by day three of the illness,” health sources told Medi Snips.

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