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2011 Dengue Outbreak?
DENGUE has been grabbing headlines again in various local papers and in publications in Asia about the possibility of another outbreak in the Philippines next year, worst than the one we had in 1998, where there were more than 38,000 cases. This death toll that year was larger than the great dengue epidemic in Cuba in 1981, where 100,000 were infected and 158 died. According to experts, a 2011 outbreak in the Philippines can happen because of the El Nino phenomenon, which triggered the one in 1998.
What is dengue fever?
Dengue Fever is a severe, potentially fatal, hemorrhagic febrile disease caused by dengue viruses, which are carried and transmitted by the female, day-biting, Aedes aegytpti mosquito, the same mosquito responsible for Yellow Fever. Dengue was first reported in Australia in 1897. Most of the victims are
children.
What is the global picture?
Today, about 2.5 billion (2/5 of the world population) are at risk from dengue, and 50 million are
infected worldwide annually, with a mortality rate ranging from 1 percent to 2.5 percent, for those who receive treatment, according to WHO statistics. For those without treatment, the death rate could be 20 percent (one in 5) or higher.
How does one catch this disease?
One catches dengue through the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito. It is not transmitted directly from person to person. The vector (carrier) mosquitoes inhabit and rapidly breed in stagnant pools of water or in tanks of drinking or bath water in the backyard of homes, which makes the situation more dangerous. They do not thrive in dirty contaminated water as some may think. The disease is more widespread during the rainy season. In 1999, there were 57,000 cases. This year, 2010, the dengue cases could go up to 70,000, if the trend continues.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
In areas where Dengue is found, any abrupt onset of fever (38-40 degrees) 2 to 7 days duration must be suspected as Dengue till proven otherwise. More specifically, there will be (but do NOT wait for these before seeing a physician) skin rash, malaise, pain
behind the eyes, headache, joint and bone pains, anorexia, vomiting, nose and/or gum bleeding, easy bruising, coffee-ground loose stools, and cough. This may be followed, after 2 to 5 days, by rapid deterioration in the patient’s condition and collapse.
What can be done to prevent dengue fever?
Personal protection (mosquito nets, protective clothing) and use of “katol” or other insect repellant help. However, the best measure is to eliminate the breeding sites to get rid of the mosquitoes. No mosquitoes, no virus. No virus, no Dengue. Pure and simple. So, the most prudent strategy is to eliminate all possible breeding places of mosquitoes around us, like pools of stagnant water (in tanks for drinking or bathing, pools of water in the ground, in discarded auto tires, bottle, coconut husks, plastic container, etc.) Tanks of drinking or bath water must be covered. DEET (N,N-diethylmetatoluamide) mosquito repellent and/or Katol are helpful. In addition to DEET, US health authorities are recommending two more safe repellents: picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus. A study in Cebu showed Permethin-coated curtains are also effective in repelling mosquitoes. The chemicals used for fumigation (fogging) have potential health hazards and do not kill the infective larvae. Vaccines for the prevention of the different types of dengue fever are not available.
The elimination of dengue is the responsibility of each and every citizen in every sitio, barangay and town in the country. The Department of Health, its
regional centers and allied agencies are impotent without the people’s help. To rely on these agencies alone, without doing our share, will be a costly
mistake. The only hope we have to stamp out Dengue is to eliminate the mosquitoes ourselves. Each
community must wage an all-out war against the harbinger of this deadly disease. This can be accomplished only by an aggressive community action, led by barangay leaders and with the help of each and every member of the community, to eliminate all the breeding sites of mosquitoes in their midst. This is the only effective strategy. Let’s get organized, “bite” back, and wipe out this potentially fatal infection, to which no one is immune, and for which there is no cure. Let’s save our children and ourselves.
Too many lives have already been lost. Let’s not wait for a fatality within our own family before we start cleaning our own backyard.
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