JEDDAH, 23 May 2006 — As the campaign against the spread of dengue fever launched in February continues, more cases of dengue fever are being diagnosed.
This means that the campaign is succeeding, according to health officials, because the increased awareness of the symptoms has resulted in more visits to doctors and subsequent diagnoses.
“The increase in reported suspected and confirmed cases since the start of the campaign means that the campaign is succeeding because more people are becoming aware of the signs and symptoms and are seeking treatment,” said Dr. Noha Dashash, assistant director of primary health care in Jeddah. “We expected this increase in the initial phase but by the end of the year, the numbers should decrease,” she told Arab News.
However, health officials say more work needs to be done to remove the breeding environments for the Aedes mosquito, which serves as the vector for the spread of the virus, such as eliminating sources of standing water where the mosquito lays its eggs. There have been five reported fatalities this year.
Last week, Prince Mishaal ibn Majed, governor of Jeddah, met with the campaign’s organizing committee and Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh, as well as the director of Jeddah health affairs, Dr. Abdul Rahman Khayyat, to stand on the latest developments in the efforts to combat the disease.
By the end of last week, 1,491 suspected cases were received at health centers, and 821 of them were confirmed as dengue fever.
Khayyat said that a house-to-house combating program is being prepared with the cooperation of over a hundred health inspectors, including medical students. The door-to-door campaign is ongoing with the involvement of mosques, schools and other institutions. It began four weeks ago in the five districts where the disease is most prevalent — Ghulail, Al-Balad, Al-Muntazahat, Al-Thaalba and Al-Hindawiya.
There are also training courses for physicians, educators and the private sector.
“Even the doctors themselves didn’t know about the disease. Now they can diagnose it and treat the symptoms early because there is no medical cure, only preventive measures,” said Dashash.
The house-to-house combating program focuses on encouraging residents to eliminate standing water inside the home, such as water in mop buckets.
“Forty teams will go to houses in 16 districts and take samples of suspected breeding grounds,” said Dashash to Arab News.
Construction sites are common places for standing water and therefore for mosquitoes that may carry the virus. Many of the reported cases of dengue have been laborers, including construction workers.
Mayor Fakieh said that a project for implementing a network for draining surface water has begun in Al-Muntazahat, Quwaiza, Kilo 14 and Kilo 11 neighborhoods, where the cases are more prevalent.
