Nicaragua Issues Dengue,
Pneumonia Alert
Nicaragua on Wednesday
issued an epidemic alert
following a sharp
increase in dengue fever
and pneumonia cases.
Despite efforts to raise
public awareness of the
illnesses in recent
weeks, there are now
more than 500 cases of
dengue in Nicaragua,
including cases of type
three dengue,
particularly worrying
for authorities as it is
more lethal than those
existing strains, Vice
Health Minister
Guillermo Gonzalez told
reporters.
Until the recent
outbreak, type-three
dengue had disappeared
decades ago, the vice
minister said.
Treatment of the illness
is progressing smoothly
and the country has most
of the drugs it needs,
but alerts are
nevertheless occurring
in some places, said
Gonzalez.
According to official
statistics, so far this
year some 240 people
have died of acute
respiratory diseases,
most of them under five
years old and six have
died of dengue.
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