 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 |
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