Dengue Fever in the Philippines
According to a Promed article, Dengue fever is moving fast and on the rise. I chose to report on the Philippines because that is where my family is from.
As of September 2007, there has been 4000 new cases of Dengue fever. Since January 2007, 283 cases out of 24, 689 have been fatal. The wet weather (it's rainy season from June to November) provides a breeding ground for Aedes aegypti, a day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans.
www.worldtravels.com recommends those traveling to the Philippines that the best protection against Dengue fever is to "avoid mosquito bites". Now that doesn't sound hard!
The Philippine Health department has initiated a 4-S Campaign against Dengue:
S - Search and destroy mosquito breeding grounds
S - Seek immediate consultation
S - Self-protection (i.e. avoiding mosquito bites)
S - Say "no" to indiscriminate fogging
*indiscriminate fogging makes use of insectides to target mosquitoes. In some cases, fogging has led to an increase in Dengue fever.
-Erin
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