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[이데일리 박경훈 기자] The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on the 1st, “Recently, after visiting Southeast Asian countries, cases of dengue fever continue to occur.”
Dengue fever is an infectious disease that affects more than 100 million people in more than 100 countries worldwide every year.
As of October of this year, 59 cases of dengue fever were reported as imported. The estimated number of infected countries are Vietnam, 21, the Philippines, 6, Thailand, 6, Indonesia, 6, India, 5, and Singapore, 4, respectively.
The number of dengue fever patients, including 273 in 2019, decreased to 43 in 2020 and 3 in 2021, after the outbreak of Corona 19, but it is increasing again this year.
Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with the dengue virus, and after an incubation period of 3 to 14 days, symptoms such as sudden high fever, headache, rash, and muscle pain appear. About 5% of patients may die from severe dengue infection.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for dengue fever, so avoiding mosquito bites is the most important thing.
If suspicious symptoms appear within two weeks of a mosquito bite in a country at risk of dengue fever, you should visit a medical institution, inform the medical staff of your recent visit, and receive prompt diagnosis and treatment.
If you are visiting a dengue-risk area, you should check the information on infectious diseases in advance and prepare mosquito repellent products and emergency medicine. During your visit, avoid moss-infested forests or mountains as much as possible, wear long clothes, and wear brightly colored clothes to help avoid mosquitoes. You are not allowed to donate blood for 4 weeks after returning home.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said, “People who are planning to visit dengue-risk areas such as Vietnam are especially urged to familiarize themselves with the precautions.”