JEDDAH, 5 June 2004 — The Directorate of Health Affairs has confirmed that dengue fever has emerged in the Jeddah region once again. The assistance of the public in controlling this serious disease is being urgently sought.

Dr. Talal Ekram, the assistant director at Health Affairs, said a few days ago that 15 out of 45 suspected cases tested positive for dengue fever at the Jeddah regional lab.

Dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans. No vaccine is available. Controlling the larval breeding sources for the Aedes mosquito is the only practical way to limit the spread of the illness. After discovering the cases the regional Directorate of Health Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture is conducting another round of spraying over areas where the transmitting mosquitoes are most likely to be found. They include Al-Mohammadiah and Al-Rahmah.

Dr. Ekram said that dengue fever has been around in Jeddah for 15 years because of the presence of mosquitoes and larval breeding sites, adding suspected cases are dealt with immediately.

Dr. Ghazi Sheikh, the director of preventive health and first aid, told Arab News that no new cases have been registered and that the ministries are doing everything possible to contain the disease. But the government alone cannot control dengue — the public’s cooperation is needed. “People should spray insecticide regularly indoors. They must put up window screens and check old screens for tears or holes. It is essential to remove all sources of stagnant water from private property and clean out swimming pools,” Sheikh said.

The rash of new construction projects, where water can gather without being noticed or drained, presents a particular challenge to health affairs. “We are working on identifying the sources from which the transmitting mosquitoes are spreading and spraying those areas,” Sheikh said.

In Makkah, more than 70 suspected cases arrived at the hospitals during the last month; 15 were positive.

There is no specific medication for treatment of dengue infection. Infected individuals are often hospitalized due to high fever which may require medical support and intervention. Infected individuals may also be hospitalized to help contain the spread of the disease. It is impossible to transmit the disease person to person, but all care must be taken to ensure that infected individuals do not come into contact with mosquitoes to break the disease cycle.

The symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea, vomiting, eye pain and severe rash. Generally younger children have a milder illness than older children and adults. The fever lasts from two to seven days.

The risk of infection is greater in urban areas that facilitate mosquito breeding, especially where water storage tanks are common or where solid waste disposal services are inadequate.

Jeddah is full of pools of stagnant water, overflowing septic tanks, a rising water table coming up through holes in pavements and on waste ground, leaking sewage tankers, leaking water pipes and inadequate if not non-existent drainage — in other words, a breeding ground for disease-bearing mosquitoes.

Arab News last reported of an outbreak of dengue fever back in August 2003. A special committee was formed by the Jeddah municipality and the Directorate of Health Affairs in the Western Region to spray and disinfect the areas where the disease is found or likely to appear.

The committee was also supposed to educate residents on ways to fight mosquitoes. However, it seems that neither the spraying campaign nor the educational campaign was effective. “We’re doing what we can with the spraying, but the unfinished sewage and drainage system makes it difficult,” said Sheikh. “People should get rid of any stagnant water, even small amounts, particularly in their gardens, and should avoid sleeping outdoors.”

Information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the Aedes mosquito is especially predisposed to biting in daylight hours. The disease is already an epidemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific are most seriously affected. For more details about dengue go to www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/dengue/.