Dengue Fever News & Updates

[i am bob]

From some of the articles I have read on Dengue, apparently there is a 2 year cycle. One year is bad and the next year is worse! Why? They didn't release all the information but it seems that the Dengue itself has been mutating every 2 years into something even more virulent than that the year before! Not good news at all!

One of the most important things you can do besides getting rid of the breeding grounds for mosquitoes is to keep clean! Shower daily or any time you have been sweating a lot. Sweat attract mosquitoes. And some studies show that certain (unnamed) deodorant soaps may also attract mosquitoes through the perfume involved in production. I myself find a good cigar does wonders for getting rid of the horrible little beasts! They don't like smoke! Of course that is Canadian mosquitoes - I haven't tried it on Filipino mosquitoes yet!

[Call me bubba]

thanks I am Bob. after i read your comment I found the latest story and it confirms that cleaniness is helpful to prevent or reduce dengue, :thumbsup:

DOH: Stay clean, observe hygiene to control dengue

With the onset of the rainy season, health officials renewed warnings to guard against dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes.

Households and schools can take simple steps like

checking uncovered water containers,

empty tires, flower vases

and rain gutters where the mosquito Aedis aegypti can lay eggs.

The mosquitos can breed in small water receptacles the size of a 25-centavo coin.

“Maintaining cleanliness and eradicating mosquito breeding sites is the most effective preventive measure against dengue fever,” said Dr. Angelita Salarda, chief of the Local Health Support Division.

Salarda advised parents to let their children avoid mosquito bites by wearing protective clothing like socks and shoes,

long-sleeved tops and long pants.

Good hygiene is also important because sweat can attract mosquitoes.

“It is important take a bath daily and wear clean clothes to keep insects away,” she said.

In case of an outbreak, DOH is ready to conduct fogging and spray larvicide to destroy mosquito pupa and larvae breeding sites, Salarda said.

The DOH has declared June as Dengue Awareness Month.

Earlier the DOH-7, through its Regional Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit (RESU), released its recent report on dengue which showed a 17 percent increase in dengue cases in Central Visayas in the first five months of 2012.

DOH has also been distributing to pubic schools chemical-soaked Olyset nets to protect children from mosquitoes.

An OLYSET net is made of polyethylene, and contains the chemcial permethrin to repel and kill mosquitoes.

The DOH is especially worried dengue cases may rise this year if the two-year pattern of high dengue occurrence continues.

“It has been observed that because of different strains of dengue, the increased pattern is usually every other year, “ said Rennan Cimafranca of the RESU.

Last year and in the first five months of 2012, Cebu city had the most number of dengue cases in Central Visayas .

From January to May this year, dengue already claimed eight lives in Cebu and inflicted 1,254 persons.

Last year, there were 717 dengue cases with seven deaths.

Lapu-Lapu City came in ssecond this year with 136 cases and three deaths. It was also second in the region last year with 130 reported cases and one death.

Aggravating the problem is climate change. As early as 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report on the correlation of climate change and vector-borne diseases like dengue.

“The increase in the number of dengue cases may be attributed to the constantly changing climate brought by global warming as well as congestion in urban areas,” said a WHO report.

Health authorities are also dumbfounded by mutating patterns among dengue virus and even in the behaviour of the mosquito that carries the virus.

Studies previously noted that the Aedes aegypti only bite during daylight, but recent studies reveal they feed even during nighttime.

http://newsinfo.inqu...-control-dengue

Edited June 3, 2012 by Call me Bubba

[Call me bubba]

Philhealth now will pay for treatment of Dengue

here is an article from manila standard

PHILIPPINE Health Insurance Corp. president and chief executive officer Dr. Eduardo Banzon

has reassured nonstop benefit payments for dengue as cases of the pestilent mosquito-borne viral disease continue to increase.

“We are constantly helping to pay for the hospitalization and treatment of every member or dependent admitted due to dengue fever,” said Banzon.

Philhealth pays P8,000 for each case of dengue fever or simple dengue hemorrhagic fever

and P16,000 for every case of dengue hemorrhagic fever with presence of shock.

The Philippines has seen an increase in dengue cases in recent months, according to the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization.

From January to October this year, the Philippines reported 132,046 cases, up 25 percent versus the 105,702 logged in the same 10-month period in 2011.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/11/24/philhealth-pushes-drive-as-dengue-cases-rise/

[StayAtHomeDad]

Try to find "Tawa-Tawa" in your area. It's basically a form of ragweed. Local doctors swear by it for dengue in many parts of Mindanao. Any time my little one gets a fever anymore, I go pull a few TawaTawa plants, clean them and  boil them for a couple of minutes. Remove the plants, let the water cool down and let my daughter drink it. Give the water a yellow/greenish tint, but no significant taste. I have even seen many doctors in hospital order tawa tawa treatment for dengue infected kids and adults in major hospitals in Mindanao. Does it really work? I dont know. But a lot of people here seem to believe it does. So, i guess letting my little one drink a little ragweed water now and again wont hurt. By the way, i have noticed her fever bouts do usually end much faster after she drinks the water in which I boiled the tawa tawa plants.

 

HTH

[relcarve25]

I noticed that 'Okieboy' in an earlier post mentioned Tawa Tawa as a effective medication for reducing 'FEVER.' I think it is important to remember, as many people have posted, and as the WHO says, that there is no known cure for viral Dengue fever.  It is only in very recent years that anti viral drugs have started to become available and none of these has proved to be effective with Dengue. A vaccine is highly unlikely in the near future and is complicated by the fact that there are 4 strains of dengue. Infection with one strain does not confer immunity from other strains.

   I think that it is likely that Tawa Tawa is a 'febrifuge' which is useful for reducing fever which can have been caused by many different organisms. If anyone has really had Dengue fever you will not easily mistake it for other fevers. I was teaching in the Gilbert & Ellice Islands some 40 + years ago and Dengue swept through the entire coral atoll where I was based. I was one of the last to get it and I will never forget the excruciating pain behind the eyes and awful back and muscle pains.(it was called 'Breakbone Fever' for good reason.) I wish I could believe that Tawa Tawa could cure Dengue but I think it is unlikely. However any medication which reduces fever can be of help in the nursing of this terrible disease which is now spreading worldwide. Cases have been found in UK, France, Spain, USA etc. I do have first hand experience of a local plant extract curing a case of viral hepatitis. Again the perceived wisdom is that it cannot be cured by drugs.  On the same Pacific Islands a young Australian man went down with serious Viral Hepatitis and was hospitalised for medical care. After 1 month, yellow as a papaya fruit, he was no better. A local islander in the bed next to him asked him why he was not curing himself. Puzzled he explained that there was no cure. The next day a relative of this local patient brought a plant extract into the hospital for him. My Australian friend drank this for one week and all trace of the hepatitis went. He was able to leave.

   I don't think there will be any major relief from Dengue in the cities of the Philippines without vast amounts of money being provided to clear out all the slums and garbage, and purify rivers etc. I don't see this happening with Philippine corruption- do you?  Chris McG (Ex Pharmacist.)

[Jollygoodfellow]

I noticed that 'Okieboy' in an earlier post mentioned Tawa Tawa as a effective medication for reducing 'FEVER.' I think it is important to remember, as many people have posted, and as the WHO says, that there is no known cure for viral Dengue fever.  It is only in very recent years that anti viral drugs have started to become available and none of these has proved to be effective with Dengue. A vaccine is highly unlikely in the near future and is complicated by the fact that there are 4 strains of dengue. Infection with one strain does not confer immunity from other strains.

   I think that it is likely that Tawa Tawa is a 'febrifuge' which is useful for reducing fever which can have been caused by many different organisms. If anyone has really had Dengue fever you will not easily mistake it for other fevers. I was teaching in the Gilbert & Ellice Islands some 40 + years ago and Dengue swept through the entire coral atoll where I was based. I was one of the last to get it and I will never forget the excruciating pain behind the eyes and awful back and muscle pains.(it was called 'Breakbone Fever' for good reason.) I wish I could believe that Tawa Tawa could cure Dengue but I think it is unlikely. However any medication which reduces fever can be of help in the nursing of this terrible disease which is now spreading worldwide. Cases have been found in UK, France, Spain, USA etc. I do have first hand experience of a local plant extract curing a case of viral hepatitis. Again the perceived wisdom is that it cannot be cured by drugs.  On the same Pacific Islands a young Australian man went down with serious Viral Hepatitis and was hospitalised for medical care. After 1 month, yellow as a papaya fruit, he was no better. A local islander in the bed next to him asked him why he was not curing himself. Puzzled he explained that there was no cure. The next day a relative of this local patient brought a plant extract into the hospital for him. My Australian friend drank this for one week and all trace of the hepatitis went. He was able to leave.

   I don't think there will be any major relief from Dengue in the cities of the Philippines without vast amounts of money being provided to clear out all the slums and garbage, and purify rivers etc. I don't see this happening with Philippine corruption- do you?  Chris McG (Ex Pharmacist.)

 

From the beginning of time or there about our medicine came from plants. These days they are just a man made version so your Aussie friend benefited from some type of knowledge handed down from generation to the next. 

 

:cheersty:

[Call me bubba]

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government has intensified its dengue preventive measures

by providing online information on dengue cases, a senior government official said today.

In the pipeline is a dengue alert website that will enable public health practitioners

to check out high-risk areas for dengue outbreaks and come up with early intervention measures, said Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo.

"Developed by DOST through its sectoral council, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), the site is technically a 'vector surveillance' tool containing data on population density

and other information on Aedes aegypti mosquito which is the vector for dengue, or the organism that transmits the dengue virus to humans," he said.

The population of the vector, or the Aedes mosquito, is reflected in the Ovicidal-Larvicidal (OL)

Trap Index Monitoring Map that shows the weekly surveillance results of communities installed with the OL Trap, he said.

The DOST-developed (OL) trap is a simple, affordable, and efficient tool for controlling mosquito population. An OL trap kit consists of a black container, a lawanit paddle where mosquitoes lay their eggs, and a pack of pellets used to make a solution that kills the eggs and larva of mosquitoes.

Reports from dengue coordinators in schools installed with the OL trap are reflected in the monitoring map, which will then show areas where Aedes mosquitos settle, including the density of the mosquito population.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

"Through the weekly updates from the communities, public health practitioners can check out trends and recommend actions to be taken by policy makers and community leaders.

This function puts the country one step ahead of the dengue menace, the peak season of which occurs during the rainy months," Montejo said.

A GREEN balloon on the map would mean an index of less than 20 percent which calls for close monitoring of hygienic condition and conduct of weekly inspection to identify potential breeding sites

 

. On the other hand, a YELLOW balloon signals an index of 20-39 percent, which means that local officials must conduct special operations to eliminate all breeding and potential breeding places.

 

 

http://www.philippines-expats.com/topic/15473-dengue-info-philstar-article/

[Call me bubba]

A new website about DENGUE is now up and running.

 

Dengue alert website up

To help curb dengue cases in the country, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Thursday launched the Dengue Vector Surveillance website;

 

a site that provides information on mosquito population per community, dengue incidence and other mosquito-related facts.

Screenshot of the Dengue Vector Surveillance website.

Vector refers to the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a carrier of disease-causing microorganisms including the dengue virus. According to DOST, health workers can monitor possible dengue sites through the website and recommend interventions to local government officials.

Developed by Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD),

the dengue alert website features a map with RED and white markers.

 

RED balloons indicate “alert” which means that the population density of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in a certain area is high and interventions are promptly needed.

White markers indicate none or sparse population of the dengue-carrying mosquito.

Mosquito population is monitored by schools where Ovicidal-Larvicidal (OL) traps are installed.

The OL trap kit is a simple tool and consists of a black container, a lawanit paddle where mosquitoes lay their eggs, and a pack of pellets used to make a solution that kills the eggs and larvae of mosquitoes.

The school-based monitors check on the traps weekly and forward their reports via text, which are then automatically encoded to the website.

Aside from the text-based reporting, the dengue alert website is now being designed to integrate with the Program NOAH platform, according to DOST. This means that a visit to the NOAH website will not only give location-specific information on weather and flood but also on dengue alert and status.

While dengue incidence reaches its peak during the rainy months, the Health Department (DOH) already reported over 42,000 dengue cases from January to the first week of June this year.

A total of 193 dengue cases for the same period have been fatal.

“Dengue needs urgent action and we need it now. In the absence of the usual cures and vaccines, we have to rely on the basics of early prevention and community action,” said DOH Secretary Enrique Ona on the department’s Facebook page then.

 

Central Visayas emerged as the national hotspot for dengue with 6,023 reported cases, representing 14.2 percent of the total reported dengue cases in the country from January 1 to June 8.

 

Other potential dengue hotspots included regions of Western Visayas and SOCCKSARGEN.

 

Meanwhile, drug company Sanofi Pasteur previously announced that a vaccine for the prevention of dengue may be released before 2016, or after 20 years of clinical studies. Alain Bouckenooghe,

the associate vice president for Clinical Research and Development and Medical Affairs of Sanofi Pasteur Asia-Pacific, said that an effective vaccine is the most effective means to fight dengue.

 

The Dengue Vector Surveillance website can be accessed at

 

http://oltrap.pchrd.dost.gov.ph.

 

 

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/06/25/dengue-alert-website-up/

[Thomas]

The mosquitoes that spread dengue usually bite at dusk and dawn but may bite at any time during the day, especially indoors, in shady areas, or when the weather is cloudy.

 

Here is a photo of a "Tiger mosquito":

Aedes Albopictus.jpg

Thank you once again Ed.......

Isn't the Filipina Tiger mosquitos as the Thai ones = the only (?) mosquito type, who bites in SUNSHINE too?

 

---

I don't know about the Tiger mosquitos, but the Swedish ones like different people different much/litle. Normaly they don't bite me, if they have someone else available, where it isn't to crowded  :)  Some information/theory told mosquitos don't like Vitamine C, which I get more, because I'm vegetarian.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

 

• Black, tarry stools (feces, excrement)
• Drowsiness or irritability
• Pale, cold, or clammy skin
• Difficulty breathing

   

These are just signs that we are old...