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Two hospitalised by dengue fever as Asian tiger mosquitoes strike again in Spain

BayRadio | November 8, 2018

A father and son from Cabezo de Torres have become the latest Murcia residents who have contracted Dengue fever this summer.

The two men claim they have not travelled to parts of the world where the virus is common, which has led experts to believe they must have been infected by bites from Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) here in Spain.

This is apparently the only insect in this country which is capable of transmitting dengue to humans.

The 53-year-old man and his 19-year-old son bring the number of patients in Murcia this summer to five. They were treated at the Hospital Morales Meseguer early October, and have made full recoveries.

The National Microbiological Centre in Madrid confirmed that their symptoms were due to dengue.

As a precaution, the town halls of Murcia, Molina de Segura and Alhama, fumigated possible Asian tiger mosquito breeding grounds, after it came to light the most recent cases suspected they had been bitten at farmland in Ribera de Molina.

Dengue fever symptoms resemble a serious bout of flu, and while it not usually a serious disease, with a mortality rate of 2.5 per cent, experts say it is still a health worry.

They are of the opinion the Aedes albopictus is here to stay, having first been seen in Spain 14 years ago, and members of the public are being advised to avoid pools of stagnant water, and to take care when watering gardens to reduce the possibility of species breeding close to their homes.

 

Written by BayRadio


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