- The entities with the highest incidence of dengue in Mexico are Tabasco, Morelos, Guerrero, State of Mexico, Sinaloa and Oaxaca.
- From 2019 to 2021, there was a significant decrease in serious cases in Mexico
- August 26 marks the World Day Against Dengue.
Although sometimes it is a disease that is minimized because it is are unaware of its symptoms, dengue is a severe public health problem. Currently, up to 400 million cases are registered annually worldwide, which demonstrates its impact. Although at first it can cause discomfort similar to the flu, in severe stages it leads to death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that about half of the population is at risk of contracting this disease. Those in greatest danger are those who live in tropical and subtropical areas.
The most affected population is between 10 and 14 years old; 15 and 19, and 20 to 24. Most dengue patients do not require hospitalization because more than 80 percent of Infections are usually mild and asymptomatic.
dengue symptoms
- Fever.
- Shaking chills.
- Muscle pains.
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- vomiting.
In Mexico, with the purpose of fight denguethe Ministry of Health (SSa) carries out various actions such as the elimination of mosquito breeding sites to prevent their growth and reproduction.
It has implemented campaigns such as: “Wash, cover, turn and throw away”, “Without breeding sites, there are no mosquitoes, and without mosquitoes, there is no dengue”, in which measures are adopted at the household level such as emptying, turning or eliminating containers that can accumulate stagnant water.
These campaigns are focused on educating people to reduce the number of water reservoirs that can serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes: outdoor tires, buckets, puddles, containers and others. Do not expose the skin to mosquito bites, use repellents, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, as well as mosquito nets.
August 26 is the International Day Against Dengue. pic.twitter.com/ZhVZ9oMfTI
– Radio UAEM (@radiouaem) August 26, 2022
Likewise, expert people are constantly working on the development of new and better strategies for the control of the vector in all its phases. Since 2014, the Entomological Research and Bioassay Units (UIEB) so that the federative entities become a reference center in the study of the different entomological groups.
The information generated in the UIEBs has been a reference framework for decision-making in the different levels of government in terms of vector control.
As part of the work is the project of “Insecticide resistance monitoring”with the purpose of evaluating the susceptibility to insecticides recommended by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention Programs (Dinner appreciates). The objective is to update and refine the list of recommended insecticides for vector control in Mexico.
An innovative strategy consists of infect wild Aedes mosquitoes with wolbachia bacteria, which competes with viruses of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, zika and yellow fever. This hinders the ability of viruses to reproduce within the mosquito.
The mode of action is by competition, so mosquitoes are unable to transmit the virus to healthy people. For this reason, mosquitoes infected with the bacteria are bred and then released in areas affected by vector-borne diseases, as has been done in the states of Baja California Sur and Yucatán.
Keys to prevent infections
- Properly dispose of solid and liquid waste.
- Prevent mosquitoes from finding places to lay their eggs.
- Apply the appropriate treatments to the containers where water is stored.
- Cover, empty and periodically clean the containers where water for domestic use is stored.
- Keep clean places where water is stored for other uses (gutters, animal drinking fountains, fountains, among others).
- In the case of a garden, try to keep the grass short and avoid puddles of water.
- Have mosquito repellent on hand.
- Get vaccinated against dengue.
Dengue is a disease with an epidemiological, social and economic impact, which is a growing problem for global public health; in particular, for the Americas. Since the reintroduction of dengue on this continent during the 1980s, cases have increased steadily with epidemics occurring cyclically every three to five years.
In 2019, the highest number of cases was recorded in the Americas with more than 3.1 million, which included 28,000 serious cases and 1,766 deaths. However, during the last two years in our country there has been a decrease. As an example, in 2021 six thousand 746 were registered; while in 2019 there were 39 thousand 812.
The most affected states are Tabasco, with an incidence of 13.63 per 100,000 inhabitants; Morelos (6.43); Warrior (4.59); State of Mexico (4.14); Sinaloa (4.06) and Oaxaca (3.75).
exist various types of dengue: non-severe, which may manifest similarly to a nonspecific febrile syndrome; dengue with warning signs, such as intense and continuous abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, accumulation of fluids, bleeding and altered state of consciousness.
Another type is severe denguewhich is characterized by shock due to plasma extravasation, fluid accumulation with respiratory distress, profuse bleeding, damage to organs such as the liver, and impaired consciousness.
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