Hemorrhagic Dengue Cases
Hits Record High
Hemorrhagic dengue has
affected 101 people in
Costa Rica so far in
2007, hitting a record
high in the past 14
years.
According to reports
released by the
Ministerio de Salud
(Health Ministry), the
number of Hemorrhagic
dengue cases has
increased 40 percent
compared with the same
period of 2006 when 72
people were affected by
this type of dengue.
The Límon province, the
most affected region in
the Caribbean, reported
42 percent of the
hemorrhagic dengue
patients followed by
Puntarenas with 38
percent and Guanacaste
with 17 percent.
The ministry added that
53 percent of the
patients are male while
81 percent are between
the age of 10 and 49.
The Health Ministry
reported that as of July
21, 2007, there were
9,741 cases of classic
dengue nationwide, a
100-percent rise
compared with the same
period of 2006.
In Límon, the number of
hemorrhagic dengue
patients increased by
228 percent compared
with that of 2006 and in
Guanacaste, the number
increased by 316
percent.
Costa Rica's Health
Minister María Luisa
Avila said she still
hoped that classic and
hemorrhagic dengue cases
would not exceed the
13,000 figure in 2007
while in 2006, 12,052
cases were reported.
"We are going to
continue the campaign to
fight hemorrhagic and
classic dengue, and we
urge the public to
follow it and
collaborate with us. We
are not going to give
up," Avila said.
|
|
