By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Health officials with the Cayman Islands Public Health Department continue to report locally transmitted dengue fever cases, according to local media.  Three additional autochthonous dengue cases have been reported during the last two weeks, bringing the total number of confirmed dengue cases since in October that were contracted locally to seventeen, with nine other patients contracting the virus overseas.

Image/CDC

The cases have been reported from most districts on Grand Cayman. No cases have been reported on North Side.

The Public Health Department’s Surveillance Unit continues to deploy enhanced measures, working closely with government and private sector physicians to review reports of suspected dengue.

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According to the World Health Organization, the incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades. A vast majority of cases are asymptomatic and hence the actual numbers of dengue cases are underreported and many cases are misclassified. One estimate indicates 390 million dengue infections per year (95% credible interval 284–528 million), of which 96 million (67–136 million) manifest clinically (with any severity of disease). Another study, of the prevalence of dengue, estimates that 3.9 billion people, in 128 countries, are at risk of infection with dengue viruses.

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