The increased disease incidence, combined with increased frequency of epidemic dengue cause by multiple virus serotypes, has increased the risk of epidemic dengue hemorrhagic fever, one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children in Southeast Asia, he said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pan American Health Organization, the incidence of dengue is increasing in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico. Most of the recent reports of suspected cases in Texas resulted from intensified surveillance by the Texas Department of Health because of an epidemic of dengue in the adjoining state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Factors responsible for such increases include a greater than usual number of tropical storms and increasing urbanization. Effective prevention and control programs will depend on integrated community efforts and on improved surveillance designed to provide early warning of dengue epidemics, he said.
Citizens can take significant steps themselves to reduce the risk.
Mosquito control is the responsibility of everyone in the community, not just those in government. Since the mosquitoes that carry the virus travel only a few hundred feet from where they are hatched, the best way to control the spread of disease is to eliminate standing water around the house where mosquito eggs hatch, such as rain barrels, discarded containers, old tires, and birdbaths, he advised. Adequate screening on windows can also help, because mosquitoes look for a place to hide during the day and may be present in dark areas like closets, bathrooms, behind curtains, and under beds. Although mosquito activity is greatest in the early morning and in the late afternoon, they may feed at any time during the day, especially indoors, in shady areas, or during overcast periods, he noted. Dengue fever is an acute viral illness with severe flu-like symptoms often accompanied by a rash on the feet or legs beginning 3 to 4 days after onset of fever.