Dengue Fever Outbreak

I'm on the U.S. Embassy's mailing list and I just received the following e-mail about the Dengue Fever Outbreak, a vector born disease. It's good I'm no where near mosquitos because I'd be the first one to be covered in bites. All the exchange student trips to the north have been postponed.


"This Warden Message, a follow-up to our message of March 27, 2009, is to
alert U.S. citizens in and traveling to Argentina that the Argentine
Ministry of Health reported 10,594 confirmed cases of dengue fever in
Argentina as of April 12, 2009. Up until recently, cases had been
restricted to the northern Argentine provinces of Chaco, Salta,
Catamarca, Tucuman, Corrientes and Jujuy, however 107 cases have now
been confirmed in the capital and in Buenos Aires Province. The Health
Ministry reported that all suspected and confirmed cases in Buenos Aires
had been imported from the most affected provinces, but media reports
said that at least five infected people had not traveled outside of the
capital region. Dengue fever is a mosquito-transmitted illness, for
which there is no vaccine, and no specific treatment. Dengue
hemorrhagic fever is a rare, more severe and sometimes fatal form of the
disease. For the latest information, you may visit the ministry's
website at http://www.msal.gov.ar/htm/site/default.asp
or call 0800-222-1002.



The Ministry of Health recommends eliminating sources of standing water,
which form breeding grounds for mosquitoes. To further reduce the risk
of contracting dengue, Argentine officials and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend wearing clothing that exposes as
little skin as possible and applying a repellent containing the
insecticide DEET (concentration 30 to 35 percent) or Picaridin
(concentration 20 percent or greater for tropical travelers). Because
of the increased risk of Dengue fever and the ongoing risk, practicing
preventative measures is recommended by the CDC. For further
information on Dengue fever, please visit the CDC's website at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/index.htm
. "