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The abroad French territory of Guadeloupe declared a dengue epidemic on Thursday, with authorities noting the outbreak was being pushed by a much less frequent pressure of the mosquito-borne illness.
“Dengue fever has entered the epidemic phase,” stated an announcement issued by the mayors’ affiliation and the regional well being authorities on Thursday evening.
This yr, “a strain of the dengue virus that has not circulated much in the last 20 years” is inflicting authorities to concern the potential of “severe forms” with “a high number of cases to be expected if control and prevention actions are not implemented”, the assertion added.
The dengue 3 serotype (DENV-3) is one in every of 4 variants of the virus.
The well being authorities stated amongst 62 samples analyzed between late September and mid-October, 97 p.c have been attributable to DENV-3.
The seasonal caseload at clinics of round 80 per week anticipated by the French public well being company has been far surpassed. On the finish of October the company estimated the weekly determine hit 540, greater than double the quantity seen in September.
Hospitals have been reporting the same spike, with round 40 emergency room visits per week for suspected dengue instances, in contrast with 25 in September.
Dengue may cause excessive fever, fatigue and physique aches, however most individuals don’t have any signs. Extreme instances can set off bleeding, internally or from the mouth and nostril.
The Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue—identifiable by its black and white striped legs—breeds in stagnant swimming pools.
Of their joint assertion, the Guadeloupe authorities careworn the necessity “to combat mosquito vectors and breeding grounds for larvae that can develop in water reservoirs around or inside homes, which may have accumulated after recent rainfall.”
It additionally suggested folks to put on loose-fitting clothes masking the pores and skin, to use insect repellent and to make use of mosquito netting over beds.
Globally, well being officers have warned that local weather change and urbanization are turning dengue right into a year-round disaster.
In October, the UN well being company stated the variety of reported dengue instances worldwide has roughly doubled every year since 2021, with over 12.3 million instances, together with greater than 7,900 deaths, reported in simply the primary eight months of 2024.
© 2024 AFP
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French territory Guadeloupe declares dengue epidemic (2024, November 15)
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