Dengue fever outbreak in the West as 200 cases reported this year

200 cases of dengue fever have been recorded for the Western Division since the beginning of this year and the Ministry of Health has declared an outbreak in the Western Division.

The Health Ministry says the majority of cases from the Western Division belong to the 10 to 29 years age group.

They say in anticipation of this outbreak, the Ministry has a Dengue Action Plan that has been implemented and monitoring of the situation by both the divisional heads and Senior Managers has been ongoing.

They add that more cases of dengue fever are expected every year during the rainy season from October to April and following periods of adverse weather conditions.

The Ministry says divisional health teams have been alerted to the increasing number of dengue fever cases above expected levels, in order to encourage early recognition, treatment, and referral of cases as required.

They say divisional and sub-divisional outbreak response teams have also been trained to investigate and respond during outbreaks.

The Ministry continues to urge the public to learn about dengue fever, take precautions to prevent infection, and present early to a medical facility should they develop symptoms.

Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus. Humans become infected with the dengue virus when mosquitoes (black-and-white striped mosquitoes) bite someone with dengue (blood meal) and then transmit the virus when it bites another healthy person. Severe dengue fever can be deadly but most people will recover from dengue fever after an illness of 2-7 days, although you may continue to feel tired for weeks afterwards.

Dengue Fever causes flu-like symptoms that generally last for 2-7 days.

High Fever is usually accompanied by at least two of the symptoms including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, headache, eye pain, muscle or joint pains, headaches, pain behind eyes and a rash.

Other symptoms may include swollen glands, diarrhoea and generally feeling unwell.

Seek medical attention immediately if you think you may have contracted dengue fever. Early diagnosis and management of symptoms are critical to reduce the risk of complications and avoid further spread of the virus.

Patients should get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids.