Ministry of Public Health announced it will restart the educational campaign to make the population aware of measures that reduce the prevalence of Dengue, a tropical disease. Dengue fever is more prevalent when it has been raining constantly. Victims typically experience a sudden high fever, headache and intense body pain about 5-8 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. A measles-like rash near day 3 of the fever can help distinguish dengue from other tropical illnesses. The acute illness usually concludes on its own after about a week. There is no vaccine against dengue. The best protection is to use repellents. While most mosquitos bite between dusk and dawn, Aedes mosquitos are most active during the day, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. They usually breed in urban areas in man-made containers filled with relatively clean water. The Dominican government carries out major public health campaigns to make people aware of the dangers of storing uncovered water. Recently Dengue made headlines when a group of 28 just arrived US Peace Corp volunteers caught the disease during the initial training period. There have been 1,139 probable cases of dengue this year, 204 of which were confirmed. In 1999, there were 1,216 reported cases. For more information on dengue, and other tropical diseases that may affect those living or traveling to the DR, see www.dr1.com/health.htm
