Latin American Dengue Fever Cases Predicted to Rise

Wednesday April 4, 2007

Dengue fever's been on the rise in Mexico for a few years now, and an AP report is calling a recent spike of the deadly hemorrhagic form of dengue fever "drastic" (one in four dengue fever cases) and reporting that "experts" are predicting more dengue fever cases to come across Latin America, citing climate change like longer rainy seasons, migration and "faltering mosquito eradication efforts" as causes.

According to recent reports, dengue fever cases in Mexico have increased by over 600 percent since 2001, and Mexican officials are sending teams of exterminators to resorts like Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Acapulco in advance of Easter weekend crowds to spray pesticides and get rid of mosquito breeding areas, like garbage piles and standing water (dengue fever is carried by some mosquitos). Acapulco has reported 549 cases in January and February of 2007, up from 86 cases in the first two months of 2006, according to an MSNBC report, which also reads, "Migrants and tourists — including the many thousands of Americans expected for spring break this year — carry new strains of the virus across national borders, where mosquitoes can spread the disease." Apparently, 17 hemorrhagic dengue fever deaths and 400,000 cases of classic dengue fever in Paraguay caused the government to declare a state of emergency in March, and the report attributes 24 deaths in the Dominican Republic in 2006 to hemorrhagic dengue fever.

Climate experts are predicting that "global warming and climate change" will continue to increase the prevalence of mosqito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever. The CDC writes that increased incidents of dengue fever are associated with increased urbanization and "rapid dispersal of viruses via air travel." The CDC estimates dengue fever risk near one illness per thousand travelers, but adds the caveat that "...this estimate may overstate the danger for tourists who will have less contact with the vector (the right kind of mosquito in the right place), who stay only a few days in air-conditioned hotels with well-kept grounds, and who participate in outdoor recreational activities where the vector mosquito may be absent (such as sunbathing or playing golf in the middle of the day)." And they go on to say, "Travelers who stay at other types of accommodations or with friends and relatives in locations with intense disease transmission may have a higher risk of illness." That could be construed to mean staying in local homes as a study abroad participant or hostels with open windows, or hanging out in highly populated areas (like visiting downtown mercados). (See the CDC dengue fever map).

Symptoms of dengue fever include flulike symptoms with very severe joint pain, high fever, nausea and rashes, according to the CDC. And though it's not any kind of medical recommendation, I can tell you that I've been to the doctor in Latin America and it was a great experience (well, insofar as going to any doc is "great"), and I got what I needed and I got well. A pound of prevention is best for mosquito-borne diseases, though: don't get it, and don't bring it home with you, by following some mosquito protection rules: wear mosquito repellent (the CDC recommends DEET or picaradin), use mosquito screens if sleeping in open air, and spray DEET on your duds and in your room.

_{Related: Travel Immunizations | Environmentally Friendly Tick Protection | Student Travel Health

Sources: MSNBC - "Deadly dengue fever surging in Mexico", Seattle Times: "Lethal type of dengue fever hits Mexico"}