Six Dead, 12,200 Infected Out Of 400,000 Residents In Cape Verde Island Dengue Outbreak

[hatrack]

PRAIA, - International medical teams have landed in Cape Verde to fight a dengue fever epidemic that has killed six and is suspected to have hit 12,000 in a country of just over 400,000 inhabitants, authorities said on Monday.

France, Portugal, Switzerland and Thailand have flown in 29 medical staff with equipment and medication following an international appeal for assistance issued last week by the West African island state and the World Health Organisation. "In the last 24 hours, 656 cases have occurred of which 466 were registered in the capital Praia," Maria de Lurdes Monteiro, director of Cape Verde's National Epidemiological Surveillance Centre, told Reuters.

There are presently 76 confirmed cases of haemorrhagic fever which is the most lethal form of dengue, Monteiro said. In its normal form dengue has symptoms similar to malaria.

Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes. It is the first occurrence of an epidemic in the archipelago. The first cases were reported at the end of September and the disease has now spread across all the islands.

EDIT

http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/55398

[madrchsod]

1. that is not good....

diseases are moving north....

[villager]

2. Is it too much to hope that climate change deniers also experience the joys of tropical vector

diseases, moving into their first world suburbs?

Since the rest of us will be, as well?

[hatrack]

3. SC, Florida, Gulf Coast, Texas, possibly California all early dengue candidates - for starters

We forget that the US was once prone to devastating yellow fever (aka the "black vomits"), malaria and dengue outbreaks - even as far north as Philadelphia.

[pscot]

5. The Continental Congress

abandoned Philadelphia because of an outbreak of yellow fever.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. One can only hope!

Rush will certainly blame "The Clenis" and the facist, socialist, communist policies of Barak HUSSEIN Obama.