Beware dengue fever in Caribbean, Latin America
— -- The home page of Puerto Rico's official tourism website, gotopuertorico.com, includes advice about a topic many travelers wouldn't associate with a fun-in-the-sun vacation: dengue fever, a flulike, mosquito-borne disease that's threatening to reach epidemic proportions through much of the Caribbean and Latin America.
The Puerto Rico alert, posted online Oct. 1, notes that most of the island's dengue cases — about 7,000 in 2007, up from 3,000 in all of 2006 — have been confined to locations outside popular tourist haunts. But it adds that the Puerto Rico health department is "fumigating popular public areas on a daily basis" and advises visitors to apply mosquito repellent, keep hotel doors and windows closed, and "avoid being outside from dusk until dawn" — a potential challenge for those drawn to the island's legendary nightlife.
Fueled by longer rainy seasons, overpopulation and inadequate mosquito eradication efforts, dengue fever now rivals malaria in the number of cases worldwide.
A travel notice updated in September by the federal Centers for Disease Control states that dengue's range has expanded rapidly in recent years, including an outbreak now in French Polynesia and Palau in the South Pacific.
And according to a Pan American Health Organization report this month, dengue fever could exceed 1 million cases in the Western Hemisphere in 2007 — including more than 67,000 cases in Mexico.
Dengue is nicknamed "breakbone fever" for symptoms that can include excruciating pain in the joints and behind the eyes. About 100 cases a year are reported among U.S. travelers, but dengue is often underreported and misdiagnosed because it mimics other diseases. Although most patients recover within a week, a small percentage develop a more severe, sometimes fatal form.
Dengue-infected mosquitoes, unlike those carrying malaria, are found in urban and rural areas alike. Peak biting periods are several hours before daybreak and before dark, but the mosquitoes can feed anytime during the day — indoors, in shady areas or when it's overcast.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live