Dengue fever scare in Israel: The condition of the young woman from Kochav Yair who contracted cereal fever is well defined. The young woman, a student, was on a trip to Mexico and only when she returned to Israel did it become clear that she had contracted the rare disease there. Following the infection, spraying was carried out in the community yesterday. No other case of infection was detected.
Spraying conducted in Kochav Yair // Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal Council
"We received an update on Thursday from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health about concerns about a dengue fever outbreak at Kochav Yair," says Kochav Yair-Tzur Yigal Council head Yuval Arad. "The young woman is in good condition and is already in recovery and is at home."
The head of the council added: "We informed the public and explained steps for personal protection. We carried out spraying and pest control operations in a very large area around the resident's living area. We also sprayed Asian tiger mosquitoes at incubation sites, which transmits the disease from person to person. We will probably have to carry out a similar operation again in a few days. There are no other cases of infection in the community."
Dengue fever, photo: AFP
Dengue fever, transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, is most common in the tropics and puts 3.9 billion people at risk of infection. There are 390 million confirmed cases worldwide each year, with a third of them needing urgent medical care that costs countries at risk billions of dollars a year – mainly in Latin America and Asia.
Dengue is a viral disease caused by Flaviviruses that is transmitted by the bite of the Asian tiger mosquito, which stings during the daytime, usually in crowded places such as markets, shopping centers and historical sites. The disease is usually manifested by mild flu-like illness, but can in rare cases lead to massive bleeding in the body and death.
After the mosquito bite, the virus enters the blood, incubates in the body for four to seven days, and causes a flu-like illness accompanied by fever, muscle aches, sore throat, redness in the throat, and sometimes a gentle rash, or slight nosebleeds. In rare cases, the virus causes an overreaction of the immune system causing coagulation disorders, numerous internal bleeding, decreased blood pressure and death.
Kochav Yair Tzur Yigal Local Council, Photo: Gideon Markowitz
There is no treatment for the virus yet. Treatment is symptomatic and focuses on rest, lowering fever, and drinking a lot. About a year ago, the European Union approved a new vaccine by Takeda against dengue fever. The QDENGA vaccine prevents infection with the virus and is approved from the age of four years onwards.
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