Dengue Fever Update: Argentina on High Alert After 1,100 Cases Reported in the Country

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Argentina reported 1,100 cases of dengue fever nationwide. The country is currently on "mitigation" phase, according to an article from Fox News Latino.

There were first cases of dengue fever that hit Buenos Aires City while some were reported in Greater Buenos Aires and across the northwest part of the country. Health Minister Jorge Lemus has already called it an "epidemic of dengue fever," Buenos Aires Herald stated in a report. Lemus cited the provinces of Misiones and Formosa, where many cases of dengue have been reported.

According to City Health Minister Ana Maria Bou Perez, the entire city is put at risk because the contagion can happen anywhere. She added that the rapid spread of the dengue fever in neighbouring countries has become a "very serious" matter that needs immediate action.

Bou Perez has already announced a city-wide plan for prevention that will focus on targeting locations where dengue fever could start, such as pools of standing fresh water where mosquitoes lay their eggs. The minister has already talked with the environment ministry to fumigate areas in the city that are highly vegetated.

Mayo Clinic described dengue fever as a disease caused by mosquitoes that are common in tropical and subtropical countries. It is transmitted and spread by a bite of the Aedes mosquito carrying the dengue virus.

Common symptoms of the dengue fever include fever, headaches, pain behind the eyes and bone, muscle, and joint pain. Patients who are infected with the dengue virus might also experience rash all over their bodies, nausea, vomiting, and bleeding from gums and nose.

Recovery period can last for a week, but some cases may worsen and become life-threatening. Blood vessels of patients become leaky and platelet count drops, which can lead to other serious issues like severe abdominal pain, bleeding under the skin and continuous vomiting.

There is no cure for dengue fever, but doctors advise patients to drink a lot of fluid to avoid dehydration from fever and vomiting. Admission to a hospital, IV drops and blood transfusion may be needed if the case becomes severe.

This spread of the dengue fever in Argentina is considered the most critical case the country has faced since the outbreak from 2009. This news come as a growing fear of an epidemic of the Zika virus has affected Latin America, a disease also transmitted by mosquitoes.

Find out more about the dengue fever and its danger in the video below: