Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced on Tuesday the presence of the mosquito that transmits dengue fever, known as Aedes aegypti, in Qena governorate.
Dozens of cases appeared among the citizens in the village of Al-Aleqat in Qus, early this week. The cases suffered from fever, bone pain, and fatigue for 3 to 5 days.
The laboratory results of blood samples drawn from cases through antibody and DNA examination showed that some samples were positive for dengue fever.
The Ministry of Health stated that the preventive medicine teams inspected the cases and took samples for examination from the cases that showed symptoms of the disease. Environmental samples were also taken from water and sanitation, and samples of mosquitoes and mosquito larvae were taken, all of which were subjected to examination in the central laboratories.
The results of the investigation, laboratory analyzes, and the results of measuring mosquito densities, taxonomy, insect surveillance, and examination of larvae showed the presence of the mosquito that transmits dengue fever.
Nevertheless, the ministry confirmed that all infected cases are simple cases and received treatment at home, and there are no cases that were confined to hospitals as a result of dengue fever. Also, there are no deaths related to the infection, and some cases are related to cases that showed symptoms in the cities of Safaga and Al-Qusayr.
The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed taking and implementing all preventive and precautionary measures in combating disease vectors and limiting their spread.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue fever is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus, which is not transmitted directly from human to humans, and is transmitted to humans when they are exposed to stings of mosquitoes carrying this infection. The main vector of the disease is the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Dengue fever spreads in more than 100 countries, and the number of infections from the disease is estimated at about 400 million cases annually, and 40% of the world’s population faces exposure to the disease. According to estimates by the WHO, more than 95% of reported cases worldwide show mild symptoms, such as severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rash.
Symptoms usually last between two to seven days, and respond to treatment with antipyretics (paracetamol). Epidemic outbreaks of the disease are repeated between 3 to 5 years. The means of control are to improve the level of general hygiene and avoid the presence of garbage, swamps and stagnant water.
