Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blog #2: Over 40% of global population prone to dengue


According to WebMd.com, the Dengue Fever, also known as “breakbone fever” comes from a virus usually transmitted through the mosquito. The symptoms include fever, headache, muscle/joint pains as well as a rash (almost similar to the measles), nausea, vomiting, and pain behind the eyes. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for this virus nor is there a treatment; the only way to avoid is to protect oneself from mosquito bites with the proper repellent and clothing. If contracted, it is essential use pain relievers avoiding aspiring and drink plenty of fluids. If you feel worse, seek medical treatment immediately. (WebMd.com)  In the article, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that over 2.5 billion people or 40% of the world’s population are at risk from this disease. “The recent risk has shown an increase in the recent years due to rapid urbanization, life style changes, and improper water storage practices in urban areas…..leading to proliferation of mosquito breeding sites.” During the 1970s, this virus was not really heard of; only nine countries had been reported to have any type of epidemic, now it is shown that it is more than over one hundred countries. Not only is this a serious global issue, but studies have shown that the large estimation of people that have contracted this Dengue Fever have been children. About 2.5% of the 500,000 people affected have died. This disease is emerging at a rapid pace, usually found in more tropical areas—temperature and rainfall (also tying in with time of year in each region) are the two main factors to this ecological disease where cases of Dengue Fever soar. Since WHO helped establish better national guidelines, there has been a steady but improving decline in fatality rates of the Dengue Fever (deaths/100 cases).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Over-40-of-global-population-prone-to-dengue/articleshow/11634868.cms

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference

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