Dengue threat hangs over strained hospitals
Friday, April 25, 2003
hongkong.scmp.com
HEIKE PHILLIPS
Heike Phillips Health services stretched by the Sars outbreak could soon find themselves battling on two fronts, with rainy weather heralding the return of mosquitoes - and dengue fever.
Lo Wing-lok, legislator for the medical sector and president of the Medical Council, said the issue of dengue fever was an underlying concern that would surface in the coming weeks.
"My fear is that this will surface with the arrival of the rainy season," he said.
Dr Lo said it was fortunate that the weather had remained dry, with April usually heralding the onset of heavy rainfalls. "We might have a few more weeks to focus totally on atypical pneumonia, but come the rainy season the mosquitoes will arrive. It would be a timely reminder to the government that we should not forget dengue fever."
According to the Health Department, 10 cases of dengue fever were reported in Hong Kong in the first two months of this year, with no cases last month. All of these were imported cases. A total of 44 cases were reported last year, of which 20 cases were contracted locally.
Ho Yuk-yin, a consultant in community medicine for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), warned that without preventive action, Hong Kong was at risk of an outbreak of dengue fever.
"What we are really concerned about is a local outbreak. We have imported cases coming from neighbouring areas every year, so from that sense we are under constant threat of dengue fever," he said. "If there is any weakness in our system, dengue fever can enter Hong Kong. This is a real threat."
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquito stings, with the common carrier in Hong Kong being the Aedes albopictus mosquito.
"It is very important that everyone looks after their own backyard or immediate environment and removes any stagnant water, so the mosquito has no place to breed," Dr Ho said. Water in vases should be changed at least once a week - the time it takes for a mosquito to grow from an egg into an adult, he said.
The most likely times of day to be stung by the Aedes albopictus are two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. "If you get bitten during the night, the chances are very slim that it was this particular mosquito," said Dr Ho. Dengue fever symptoms - much like those of Sars - include headache, aches and pains and fever.
"Classical dengue fever symptoms include a skin rash, but there is no shortness of breath as with pneumonia," Dr Ho said. Usually patients recover within days.
The Health Department said officials had been working closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to prevent dengue fever. |
