Dengue fever detected in Spaniards who have never been in the tropics
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 @ 2:06 PM
TWO cases of dengue fever have been confirmed in Spain for the first time ever – and experts say they are 'not surprised' it has put in an appearance in the country.
A tropical disease passed on by mosquitoes, dengue causes high fever, general body aches and pains, and vomiting.
There is no vaccine, and anyone who travels to rural areas in the tropics is normally advised to use strong fly repellent with DEET as one of its ingredients.
The confirmed cases are two Spaniards from the same family who live in Alhama (Murcia) and are said to be in their 50s or early 60s.
Neither had ever travelled to a high-risk area, and it is believed the disease may have been passed on by the so-called 'tiger mosquito', which has a sting that causes much greater irritation than 'mainstream' mosquitoes.
A third case, within the same family, has not been confirmed, but the patient is around the same age and has not travelled outside of Spain recently.
All three were in Cádiz when they contracted the infection.
Spanish health authorities say the two definite dengue cases are a man and a woman who live together in Alhama, but are not partners, and that the third possible patient lives in Madrid.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com