‘Take anti-dengue fever precautions’

MINISTER for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, has asked community members to observe the principles of environmental cleanness in order to fight dengue fever effectively.

Ms Mwalimu told reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday that people should not panic over the likelihood of the fever’s recurrence, but be extra-cautious instead. She urged wananchi to immediately consult doctors and receive proper treatment immediately after infection.

Dengue fever is a mosquitoborne tropical disease transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito; dymptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection.

This may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash. The minister said during the rainy season, a scattered collection of water in artificial containers, like bottles, tires, tire casing, flower vases, uncovered water storage, empty receptacles in gardens and courtyards and animal water container were all potential risk factors for dengue because of Aedes mosquito lives and breeds there.

Between January 2018 and March, so far, eleven people have been diagnosed with the disease.

The government has started taking control measures to check the disease from spreading further. The last worst outbreak of the dengue fever was in 2014 when nearly 400 patients in Dar es Salaam were diagnosed with the disease, followed by the death of at least three, including a doctor.