Shenzhen residents are reminded to stay vigilant against mosquito bites and dengue fever, as a level-III warning for the mosquito-borne disease remains in effect, according to the city’s center for disease control and prevention, sznew.com reported yesterday.
Recently, a 12-year-old girl from Shenzhen was suffering from a recurrent high fever following a visit to Thailand. She was found to have a scattered red rash on her limbs and hemophagocytic syndrome, and was later confirmed to have contracted dengue fever.
The girl is presently in stable condition and has been transferred to a special hospital for infectious diseases for further treatment.
In Hong Kong, the incidence of dengue fever is at its highest in 16 years. The number of people in the territory diagnosed with dengue fever this year had reached 27 as of Wednesday.
According to doctors, more than 80 percent of patients will experience mild symptoms, similar to those of a common cold, after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the dengue virus.
They will usually develop a fever of above 40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by a headache, post-ocular pain, nausea, vomiting, gland swelling, joint and muscle pain, rashes and beyond.
Nearly 5 percent of cases become severe, leading to multiple organ failure or bleeding and requiring prompt treatment. At present, there are no effective antiviral drugs for dengue fever, and symptomatic treatments are mainly adopted.
Residents are advised to increase the amount of fresh air in their rooms and keep indoor surfaces dry in order to eradicate the breeding of the Aedes type of mosquitoes, as they often increase after rain, especially in the summer, said experts with the center for disease control and prevention.
Additionally, experts suggested that residents avoid wading in puddles as they can carry a variety of pathogenic microorganisms, which will increase the risk of infection if there are wounds on the foot.