With an increase in cases of dengue fever at 1500 percent over 2013 numbers, the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention say the the number has topped 10,000, according to a report in the Nanfang Insider.
Less than one week ago, the province had reported just over 6,000 cases.
With an average of 700+ new cases reported daily, the outbreak has affected 20 cities in Guangdong. At least 3 people have died.
Authorities say they are redoubling their efforts to eradicate mosquitoes to try and curb the outbreak and are urging people to do the same.
Despite the large numbers, health authorities say the outbreak should be over relatively soon, “We are confident we can contain the epidemic in two to three weeks. Authorities have prioritized anti-dengue measures”, said a Guangzhou CDC representative.
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Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person.
There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated denguefever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.
