By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Image/CDC
Four months after a dengue fever outbreak was declared on the Polynesian island country of Tuvalu, health officials report the number of suspect and confirmed cases have risen to 498 and 209, respectively.
The outbreak of dengue serotype 1 (DEN1) was declared on March 27 with cases peaking during the past two months.
Most cases of dengue have been reported in children.
In response to the outbreak, the Environmental Health (EH) team is conducting entomological survey and control activities including fogging at the hospital, schools and cases houses and using Pyriproxifen 0.5G larvicide to prevent adult vector emergence.
Earlier this month, spraying/fogging activities began and a public awareness campaign has been ongoing.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness and, sometimes causing a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. Approximately, half of the world’s population is at risk and it affects infants, young children and adults. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years. Up to 50-100 million infections are now estimated to occur annually in over 100 endemic countries, putting almost half of the world’s population at risk.
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