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Caribbean-Latin America
Dengue spreading in Martinique
2005-09-26
FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique (AP) -- An epidemic of dengue fever has killed two people in the French Caribbean island of Martinique this month, and more than 6,000 have been infected, medical authorities said Monday. Since mid-September, the rate of new cases has increased to almost 1,000 a week, said Jacques Rosine, a doctor at the Antilles-Guyane Inter-Regional Epidemiology Center in Martinique. "The epidemic is not calming down. It is gaining ground," he said. More than 60 people have been hospitalized, three of them with a severe form of the disease, which often causes internal bleeding.
"On the bright side, we've slashed prices on all our hotel rooms"
The disease -- characterized by high fever, chills, headaches, aching joints, bright red rashes and prostration -- is common in tropical areas and endemic to parts of Asia and the Caribbean. There is no vaccine and the only treatment is bed rest, fluids and fever-reducing medication.
I think the same treatment has been given to the Martinique Tourist Board
Posted by:Steve

#4  Also in Malaysia.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-09-26 20:39  

#3  Its all over the Caribbean, incl. Cuba.
Posted by: buwaya   2005-09-26 20:16  

#2  Dengue are mosquito-borne diseases, from a family of viruses, is now endemic to Mexico, and trying to make its way North. It can unpredictably go from the ordinary form, that will make you sick with strange symptoms (nicknamed "breakbone fever") for up to a month; to a deadly hemorrhagic form that behaves like ebola.

Infection from one strain conveys no protection from the others. In Mexico it has been noted that people will develop the hemorrhagic form mostly with their second dengue infection. But otherwise very little is known about much of its particulars.

Noteworthy: unless doctors are familiar with, or have been notified of its symptomology, they may not consider it as a cause for illness. This is important in areas bordering, but not in, dengue notification zones.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-09-26 19:52  

#1  Dengue is bad shit. Didn't it used to be restricted to the Pacific islands?

Many of my male relatives got a dose and every one ended up with a pretty good kidney stone problem at about 50...... who knows.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-09-26 17:57  

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