Biology Digest

  Global and local health authorities are reporting a dengue fever outbreak in the Somali Region of eastern Ethiopia. Ethiopia Image/CIA Close to 160 confirmed cases have been recorded in Warder Woreda of Dolo Zone and 47 suspected cases in Dolo Ado Woreda of Liban Zone. The suspected cases are awaiting confirmation. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the outbreak response through coordination, disease and entomological surveillance, sample collection and transportation, supply of medicines, social mobilization, and on-the-job training on case management at the health facilities in the affected zones. Contributing factors to the outbreak include weakened nutritional status of the community due to prolonged drought and population displacement. WHO representative , Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, underscored the need to destroy mosquitoes’ breeding sites and prevent mosquito bites to interrupt transmission of dengue fever. “Families and communities need to care for the most vu...

  Peru has reported 56,394 total dengue fever cases in 2020, making it the worst dengue epidemic since 2017, when the virus infected over 68,000 people. 88 dengue related deaths have been reported. The  Peru dengue crisis  began in October of 2019 when the cases increased in the Madre de Dios region in the country’s southeast. In February, the government declared dengue a health emergency. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause dengue (DEN1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4). Dengue Fever (DF) – marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degree of bleeding from various parts of the body (including nose, mouth and gums or skin bruising).Dengue has a wide spectrum of infection outcome (asymptomatic to symptomatic). Symptomatic illness can vary from ...