Honduras: Most Dengue
Cases in Central America
Honduras has the highest
number of dengue cases
in Central America,
official sources
reported Friday.
According to health
authorities, 180 cases
were already reported
with dengue hemorrhagic
fever until last week,
most serious dengue
variant, which can cause
death.
In order to confront
this situation the
government has carried
out an intense campaign
of fumigation and a plan
of actions in order to
eradicate Aedes aegypti
mosquito, transmitter of
the disease.
In 2006, six Hondurans
died victim of
hemorrhagic dengue and
7,800 cases with common
dengue fever, whereas in
2007 there were 29,000
cases with dengue and
1,692 with hemorrhagic
dengue, 15 of them died.
Dengue is an infectious
disease caused by a
virus spread by
mosquitoes. It is common
in warm, wet areas of
the world. Symptoms
include high fever,
headaches, joint and
muscle pain, vomiting
and rash. Most people
with dengue recover
within 2 weeks.
Until then, drinking
lots of fluids, resting
and taking non-aspirin
fever-reducing medicines
might help. Sometimes
dengue turns into dengue
hemorrhagic fever, which
causes bleeding from
your nose, gums or under
your skin. It can also
become dengue shock
syndrome, which causes
massive bleeding and
shock. These forms of
dengue are
life-threatening. |
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