KATHMANDU: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel notice for Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas due to the ongoing risk of the disease.
The CDC on its part has advised using an EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, and sleeping in an air-conditioned room or room with window screens or under an insecticide-treated bed net when traveling to the aforementioned countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Philippines, Singapore and Srilanka in Asia. Prevention is important as there are no specific vaccines or anti-virals for the disease.
A mosquito-borne disease, much like malaria, chikungunya or Zika, dengue flourishes in poorer sections of the urban society, suburbs and in the countryside. It is more typical in tropical and subtropical countries.
While the initial symptoms of dengue are fever, aching bones, and rashes, it can also be severe and even fatal, causing internal bleeding, including in the brain. Prevention from mosquito bites thus become of optimum importance in the fight against dengue.
Furthermore, Bangladesh has seen a sharp spike in the number of dengue infections being registered in the last one month, with a total of 50,974 people infected. Experts are worried the outbreak could spread further in coming months as the weather conditions are optimal for the breeding of the Aedes mosquitoes.
Meanwhile, East China has seen more than 600 people fall ill with dengue fever and authorities have stated that they have launched an emergency response to the outbreak.
Notably, according to the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is exploring the potential use of a nuclear technique to fight dengue mosquitoes.
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