Almost 6,000 suspected cases of dengue fever, a flu-like illness that is spread by mosquitoes, have been reported in four of Cape Verde"s islands " Santiago, Brava, Fogo and Maio " since the start of October, WHO reported today.
The Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, which is a partner member of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), confirmed the existence of the outbreak from the first series of samples sent to the laboratory.
The Cape Verdean Government has set up a committee to spearhead its efforts to tackle the epidemic, and WHO is helping health officials and the public information technology agency maintain a rapid surveillance and reporting system by text message.
Last week officials from WHO"s regional office and from its inter-country support team, as well as staff from the Pasteur Institute, arrived in Cape Verde to help authorities.
The team will provide laboratory, entomological and epidemiological support and set up laboratory diagnostics at one hospital, and it will also initiate activities to try to control the disease"s spread.
Dengue fever outbreaks often occur when mosquitoes are able to breed in large numbers in artificial containers and improperly managed garbage, and the virus spreads through the bite of the female of the species.
Often persons infected with dengue suffer from mild flu-like symptoms, and may not realize they have the disease. Aside from joint pain, dengue victims experience rashes, nausea and headaches.
But some also suffer a potentially fatal form called dengue haemorrhagic fever, which causes internal bleeding and circulatory failure. Aspirin should be avoided in cases of dengue fever as it is known to increase the tendency to bleed. No vaccine has yet been found for any of the four strains of the virus, and none of the four confer immunity from the others.
Source: UN News
Global 
-
Liberian girls and women should draw inspiration from the all-female Indian police unit serving with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to join law enforcement agencies in the service of their own nation, the top UN official in the West African country said today. more
-
The Convention on the Rights of the Child has become the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history, but 20 years after its adoption, much more remains to be done to turn its promises into reality for millions worldwide, top United Nations officials said today. more
-
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced the hope for increased cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations following the appointment of Herman van Rompuy as the first EU President and Catherine Ashton as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. more
-
The official number of swine-flu cases in Kyrgyzstan has been put at 61, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. more
-
Iranian human rights advocate and lawyer Shirin Ebadi said she has been receiving death threats, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. more
-
Vladimir Tutayev, an activist from Russia's United Civic Front (OGF), was detained in Moscow today, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. more
-
Jailed Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev is among the winners of the 2009 International Press Freedom Awards, an annual recognition by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) of journalists working in dangerous or repressive circumstances, RFE/RL's Azerbaijan Service ... more
-
Tens of thousands of Palestinian refugee children in United Nations schools in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria have been clicking away with flip cams to create the region?s first ever online video yearbook to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the ... more
-
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Libya have agreed on a $71 million programme to boost cooperation over the next five years to strengthen food security and sustainable development in the country. more
Comments
|
|
RSS