Dengue fever: One more thing to consider in Goa.
Apparently Mr. Rajan Narayan who writes for the Goan Observer came down with a
case of Dengue fever recently.
In his write up : Dengue-downpour-dampens-Ganesha, he relates his sad battle
with this nasty virus and opines how the virus got to Goa via the Patna
express.
According to Web MD:
"Dengue (pronounced DENgee) fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne
disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. These viruses
are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.
An estimated 400 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with
about 96 million resulting in illness. Most cases occur in tropical areas of
the world, with the greatest risk occurring in:
The Indian subcontinent
Southeast Asia
Southern China
Taiwan
The Pacific Islands
The Caribbean (except Cuba and the Cayman Islands)
Mexico
Africa
Central and South America (except Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina"
According to the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
" A vaccine to prevent dengue (Dengvaxia®) is licensed and available in some
countries for people ages 9-45 years old. The World Health Organization
recommends that the vaccine only be given to persons with confirmed prior
dengue virus infection.
The vaccine manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, announced in 2017 that people who
receive the vaccine and have not been previously infected with a dengue virus
may be at risk of developing severe dengue if they get dengue after being
vaccinated. "
Conclusion:
If you are in Goa and cannot or do not want to be vaccinated simply try and
stay away from mosquitoes.
Regards,
E.
