DENGUE - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
News: Sudanese
officials say dengue fever outbreak kills 26
What's in the news?
● Sudanese
health officials said at least 26 people have died from dengue fever in one of
the worst outbreaks the country has seen in recent years.
Key takeaways:
● Dengue
fever is a mosquito-borne disease
that occurs in tropical areas of the world, usually spreading near stagnant
sources of water.
● There
were 460 confirmed cases of the disease and a further 3,436 suspected cases,
the Sudanese Health Ministry announced on social media.
Dengue:
● Dengue
is a vector-borne disease
transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
● The
mosquito becomes infected when it feeds on the blood of a person infected with
the virus. After about one week, the mosquito can then transmit the virus while
biting a healthy person.
● There
are 4 stereotypes of the virus that
causes dengue. These are known as DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4.
● Infection
with one strain will provide life-time protection only against that particular
strain. However, it is still possible to become infected by other strains and
develop into severe dengue.
Transmission:
● Dengue
cannot be spread directly from person to
person. However, a person infected and suffering from dengue fever can
infect other mosquitoes.
Areas affected:
● Most
cases occur in tropical areas of the
world, including the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Southern China,
Taiwan, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Mexico, Africa, Central and South
America.
Symptoms:
● Dengue
causes flu-like symptoms and lasts
for 2-7 days. Dengue fever usually occurs after an incubation period of 4-10
days after the bite of the infected mosquito.
● High
Fever (40°C/ 104°F) is usually accompanied by at least two of the following
symptoms: headaches, pain behind eyes, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, joint,
bone or muscle pains and rash.
Treatment:
● There
is no vaccine or specific medication
for dengue fever. Patients should seek medical advice, rest and drink plenty of
fluids.
● As
a precautionary approach, patients can adopt measures to reduce transmission by
sleeping under a treated net especially during the period of illness with
fever.
Aedes aegypti:
● Aedes
aegypti is a daytime feeder. The
peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.
● Aedes
aegypti has evolved into an intermittent biter and prefers to bite more than
one person during the feeding period. This mechanism has made Aedes aegypti a
very highly efficient epidemic vector mosquito.