JEDDAH, 28 June 2006 — Four policemen in Jeddah have been put in isolation at a hospital after falling sick with dengue fever, an illness transmitted by mosquitoes and which causes people to lose appetite, become tired and feel exhausted.
The men are currently being kept in isolation at a Jeddah hospital to prevent the disease from spreading. According to reports, all four fell ill after there was an outbreak of the illness in a police station in the south of Jeddah.
Senior police officers called for the Jeddah municipality to send health experts to the police station to prevent the disease from spreading among other officers, workers and members of the public.
Sources also revealed that the Jeddah municipality has asked the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to provide aircraft that would spray pesticide in affected areas.
According to official statistics from the Health Ministry, there have been 419 suspected cases of dengue since January, with 200 confirmed cases and four people dying of the illness. Most cases of dengue fever dealt by hospitals in Jeddah have originated in the central and southern areas of the city.
The Jeddah municipality has set aside SR5 million to tackle dengue fever and has called for the government to give SR20 million in financial aid to deal with the epidemic.
The municipality is presently spraying pesticide in over 150 locations across Jeddah to kill mosquitoes that carry the disease. In addition, the municipality is carrying out a massive awareness campaign to educate people about the disease and explain to them how they should protect themselves.
Dengue fever is an infectious disease which causes severe fever, headaches, joint and muscular pains and rashes. The dengue rash is usually bright red and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest — in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. Many people who catch the epidemic also suffer from abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
People who catch dengue fever are advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids. The last serious outbreak of the disease in Saudi Arabia occurred in 1994. Recently, Jeddah Governor Prince Mishal ibn Majed launched a campaign to create awareness of the disease and prevent it from breaking out in the Western Province.
