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September 19, 2008
Dengue!
Local newspaper El Informador is reporting that the head of the Jalisco Department of Vectors and Zoonosis, Norma Jacobo Hernández, said that there are 250 probable cases of Dengue fever in the state, with the majority in the municipality of Zapopan, where Shawn and I live. A related article says the number of cases in Zapopan could be as high as 77.
Puerto Vallarta has the next highest number of cases reported in the state, coming in with 16.
Dengue fever is spread by mosquitoes and is found in tropical locations. The state health services recently launched a public awareness campaign instructing citizens to eliminate any standing water that might collect in receptacles outdoors and to change water in flower vases every three days to remove any potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The government began a program of spraying earlier in the month, and it is recommending that people wear repellent even when inside their homes.
Symptoms of Dengue fever include:
- severe headache
- muscle and joint pains
- rashes
- gastritis with some combination of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- fever
- chills
- nausea
- severe dizziness
- bleeding from nose, mouth or gums
- loss of appetite
Posted by crispy at September 19, 2008 01:04 PM