Health minister: dengue outbreak is equal to 2020 and rising

"Every outbreak is bigger than the last,” says Vizotti

Carla Vizotti at event to deliver ambulances. Source: Vizotti's social media

Health minister Carla Vizotti said today that the current dengue fever outbreak is “equalling” the case count of the 2020 outbreak but “cases will continue to rise for a few weeks”. 

She emphasized that the population should remove objects that gather water and clean out pets’ drinking bowls to avoid growth of the larvae of aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are the vector of the disease.

“Every year, we have dengue cases around this time, but every three or four years there are outbreaks with a very high number of cases,” Vizotti told Radio 10 this morning. “What we’re seeing is that every outbreak is bigger than the last; now we’re matching the 2020 outbreak, but cases will rise for a few weeks yet.”

As well as highlighting the importance of removing water receptacles, she said it was important to take steps to avoid getting bitten. Fumigation, she said, “plays a role, but isn’t the most important, because when you fumigate, you kill the adult mosquitoes but not the larvae, which means fumigation is only part of the strategy.”

According to the Health Ministry’s last report, by April 1 28,235 dengue cases had been identified, up just over a quarter from the previous week, and the virus was circulating in Buenos Aires City and 13 central and northern provinces.

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted when mosquitoes – mainly aedes aegypti but also others of the aedes genus – feed on the blood of an infected person. Eight to twelve days later, the mosquito can pass the disease on through its bites. 

The symptoms are fever and at least one of the following symptoms:

  • Pain behind the eyes
  • Headache
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Blotches and itching of the skin
  • Nose or gum bleeds

Dengue patients should seek immediate medical attention if they notice their symptoms reappearing or getting worse, or if new symptoms appear (such as breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, profuse bleeding from mucous membranes, irritability, drowsiness, or persistent vomiting).

Chikungunya

Chikungunya fever, which is transmitted by the same mosquito, is also circulating in Argentina. By April 1, 915 cases had been detected, although only 348 patients are confirmed to have caught it in the country so far. Of the remainder, 261 contracted it abroad and the rest are under investigation.

The disease is circulating in Buenos Aires city and the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chaco, Córdoba, Corrientes, Formosa and Santa Fe.

Its symptoms usually start three to seven days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito. The most common symptom is a sudden fever, often accompanied by joint pain. Other symptoms can include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and a skin rash.

The intense joint pain usually lasts for only a few days, but it can persist for months, affecting overall recovery and return to day-to-day activities.

Anyone experiencing the symptoms of either disease should seek prompt medical attention, avoid attempting to self-medicate, and take bite avoidance measures to avoid passing the virus on to others.

Télam

Newsletter

All Right Reserved.  Buenos Aires Herald