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Dengue Fever, Southeast Asia |
The World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Region Office (SEARO) issued a dengue alert to all its member countries in the Southeast Asia region because of an increase in the number of dengue cases in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. An outbreak of dengue fever was also reported for the first time from Bhutan. Dengue has been identified as the probable cause of the Bhutan outbreak through testing conducted at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Delhi
The geographic distribution of dengue is rapidly expanding. It can be found in most tropical countries of the South Pacific, Asia , the Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa. Symptoms of dengue include: severe headache, fever, and joint and muscle pain. Travelers to regions where dengue is present are reminded to take precautions to protect themselves from dengue which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, usually Ae. Aegypti
Mosquitoes that play a role in dengue transmission breed in standing water associated with human habitation. The risk for contracting dengue is thus great. Therefore, it is important to wear appropriate clothing at those times of day, such as long-sleeved pants and shirts. No vaccine is available for dengue; however, travelers can further protect themselves by using insect repellent containing up to r in urban areas and lower in rural areas and areas at high altitude above 4,500 feet or 1500 meters
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