Latin America struggles with dengue epidemic
Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 24 March 2010 - 5:35pm
The Pan-American Health Organisation PAHO says Latin America is struggling with a severe outbreak of the deadly dengue fever. 146,000 cases have already been registered this year, and 79 people have died. Last year this time only 79,000 patients had been reported with the illness, which is spread by mosquitoes.
The PAHO says the countries the hardest hit are Brazil, Columbia and Venezuela. There is no medicine against dengue, also known as breakbone fever, although experts hope to have developed one in about five years.
Global warming is responsible for spreading the disease to countries which were formerly unaffected. In some Central American and Caribbean countries, dengue has reached epidemic proportions.
0 comments:
Post a Comment