Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Dengue hits southeast Asia

Lots more Dengue fever this year in the Philippines...Our town is spraying the ditches every week to kill mosquitoes...
The Philippine government has asked local authorities to intensify educational campaigns about dengue fever, organize mosquito-control systems, ensure sufficient blood supplies for transfusions and increase surveillance of cases.
The disease has sickened at least 18,802 people in the Philippines — a 26 percent rise over last year. At least 259 have died.

But when it hits pristine Singapore, it gets in the news...

Because of this, I don't sit out in the evening with my husband, I wear slacks instead of my usual shorts around the house, and we spray the bedroom and keep the screens closed tightly...

But I'm still covered with bugbites (I'm one of those who gets bitten by any bug in town)...

So far, so good...

When they talk about Dengue, however, you have to remember that probably 80 percent of the infections are mild and don't see a doctor. I think my stepson had it earlier this year, but he improved before we took him to the doc...

Treatment is symptomatic anyway...it's a virus... but in bad cases, you develop bleeding and body shutdown...

LINK