Alert: Health Service warns of Dengue fever

The Ghana Health Service has issued an emergency health alert, following an outbreak of a fever known as the dengue fever in Burkina Faso.

“The Ghana Health Service has received notification and alert of Dengue Fever alert in Burkina Faso from WHO country office. By copy of this mail, please be informed and keep alert. Kindly enhance surveillance and update your respective preparedness and response plans for Dengue and other abro viruses,” a statement from the Service said.

The Health Service further indicated that, it has been notified by the World Health Organization (WHO) about the dangers of the outbreak.

Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses.

These viruses are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.

An estimated 390 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with about 96 million resulting in illness.

Most cases occur in tropical areas of the world, with the greatest risk occurring in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Southern China, Taiwan, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean (except Cuba and the Cayman Islands), Mexico,Africa and Central and South America (except Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina).

–
By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana