Dengue fever worldwide on the rise

Dengue fever is on the rise worldwide

According to information from the World Health Organization WHO, the dangerous dengue fever virus infection is on the rise worldwide. In recent times, the diseases have more than doubled. In a TV report of „BBC“ is even from the „biggest threat to health worldwide“ spoken.

The tropical disease „dengue fever“ is spreading more and more. Even in the relatively human-conditioned Euro, first cases of illness were reported. About two-fifths of the world's population is at risk, according to the WHO. The greatest danger for the people of Asia and the Pacific was. Currently, around 50 million people worldwide contract the virus.

Tropical diseases are more common in Europe. In the course of climate change, the increased temperatures that are responsible for the spread of exotic disease carriers to Europe are to blame. A few months ago, for the first time, a man from Nice was infected with dengue fever through a mosquito bite. So far, only introduced infections had occurred. A recent example of infection also occurred in Croatia.

The dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. The course of the disease is initially similar to the symptoms of a seasonal flu. For this reason, the dangerous disease is often not recognized in time. If a patient recruits dengue fever during their lifetime, the course of the disease is often much more pronounced and can then be fatal. In about 500,000 people, the disease is severe and about 22,000 people, mostly children, die each year as a result of the infection. In addition, in about three to four percent of first-time illnesses, an extreme course of the virus infection also occurs. Those affected suffer from very high fever and heavy bleeding.

If the illness is recognized in time, it can also be treated well. So will „the disease (...) treated with remedies for fever and pain, possibly also with infusions“ explains Tomas Jelinek, Scientific Director of the Center for Travel Medicine in Düsseldorf. However, the biggest problem is that the diagnostic methods used to diagnose tropical diseases are not very common among primary care physicians. If the diagnosis is incorrect, the course of the disease can have fatal health consequences for the patient and even lead to death. (sb, 18.10.2010)

Also read:
Climate change: Dengue fever reaches Europe

Picture credits: Dr. med. Karl Herrmann