Dengue fever warnings for WA and far north Queensland

The Health Department in West Australia say there is a sharp increase in the mosquito-borne viral infection Dengue fever in people returning from Indonesia.

WA Health says last year 54 West Australians contracted the disease, almost four times the usual number and almost 60 per cent of people infected in the last 13 months had travelled to Indonesia, in the main Bali; 16 cases were reported in January this year.

Dr. Gary Dowse, the acting Director of Communicable Disease Control, says while most of those infected had travelled to Bali, people travelling to Thailand, Singapore, India, Vietnam, the Philippines or anywhere in South-East Asia should take precautions.

Dr. Dowse says Dengue fever can be a debilitating illness and 20 per cent or so of their cases have needed hospital treatment; he says Dengue fever is not an insignificant illness.

The mosquito-borne viral infection has symptoms including fever, aching joints, nausea and a rash and the public is advised to wear long, loose clothing, avoid going out at around dawn and dusk when the mosquitos are prevalent and use mosquito repellents, and if possible bed nets.

Personal repellents containing diethyl toluamide or picaridin are recommended and the most effective and long-lasting formulations are lotions or gels.

Parents are warned to ensure infants and children are adequately protected against mosquito bites but only use infant strength repellents on children.

Dengue fever is an acute viral infection that can occur 3-14 days after being bitten and while most people recover completely from the illness, there is a risk of developing a rare but potentially fatal form of the disease known as Dengue haemorrhagic fever.

In far north Queensland the Mossman and Port Douglas regions are also on high alert for Dengue with 16 confirmed cases up to March 13th.

As this outbreak is a Dengue Type 3 outbreak Queensland Health’s Tropical Population Health Unit says the outbreak poses a serious health risk to anyone in Mossman or Port Douglas who has had dengue before.

Port Douglas and Mossman residents are being urged to take immediate steps to prevent being bitten and Queensland Health is working with local and community councils to manage the outbreak according to the Dengue Fever Management Plan.

The plan includes disease surveillance, mosquito surveillance and control, and education.

The Tropical Population Health Network relies on general practitioners, emergency department doctors and laboratories to notify them of possible cases of dengue and say any delay in notification can mean the difference between a small and a large dengue outbreak.