After last Friday’s warning from the US Embassy in Argentina about an outbreak of Dengue fever in Argentina which mostly affected the northern provinces, MercoPress is reporting today that two new confirmed cases had been detected in Quilmes to the south of Buenos Aires. Here is the text of the original US Embassy alert:
DENGUE FEVER ALERT FROM US EMBASSY IN ARGENTINA
This Warden Message is to alert U.S. citizens in and traveling to Argentina that the Argentine Ministry of Health reported 2,200 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Argentina as of March 26, 2009. According to a ministry spokesman, the majority of cases have been reported in the northern Argentine province of Chaco, although some cases have also been reported in Salta, Catamarca and Jujuy provinces. Dengue fever is a mosquito-transmitted illness, for which there is no vaccine, and no specific treatment. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a rare, more severe and sometimes fatal form of the disease. For the latest information, you may visit the ministry’s website at http://www.msal.gov.ar/htm/site/default.asp or call 0800-222-1002.
The Ministry of Health recommends eliminating sources of standing water, which form breeding grounds for mosquitoes. To further reduce the risk of contracting dengue, Argentine officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend wearing clothing that exposes as little skin as possible and applying a repellent containing the insecticide DEET (concentration 30 to 35 percent) or Picaridin (concentration 20 percent or greater for tropical travelers). Because of the increased risk of Dengue fever and the ongoing risk, practicing preventative measures is recommended by the CDC. For further information on Dengue fever, please visit the CDC’s website at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/index.htm.
Just something to keep an eye on.
UPDATE (31.3.09): Two women in Chaco, Argentina have died from dengue and the number of cases continues to rise.
UPDATE (7.4.09): Argentine health authorities confirmed Monday that there are 69 cases of dengue in the country’s capital Buenos Aires. The infected people have either traveled to Bolivia or to the 19 provinces where the epidemic was spreading, said the officials. The number of dengue cases in the country have reached 5,000, according to official data.