Dengue Fever Outbreak In Brazilian State

[+ Lucky]

Associated Press is reporting that as many as 80 new cases per hour of dengue fever are being diagnosed in the state of Rio de Janeiro by hospital emergency rooms in an outbreak that has so far seen 32,000 confirmed cases. Speculation is that with many cases going unreported, there could be three times the number of victims.

[sf traveler]

According to the Brazilian press, this is the most serious dengue epidemic in Rio for several years. There are hydration tents being set up and the Army is actually being deployed to help out. Dengue is a painful but not normally longlasting or serious disease. Most of the deaths are children under 13 who seem to be vulnerable to the hemorragic variety. The outbreak seems to be confined to the state of Rio de Janeiro, and anyone going to Rio for the next 6 to 8 weeks should seriously think about postponing his trip. I would recommend that HIV positive guys be especially careful to avoid Rio at this time. SF Traveler

[trilingual]

If you're unlucky enough to come down with dengue, or you have similar symptoms (high fever and joint pain) Brazilian authorities recommend that you not use aspirin or related NSAIDs for fever/pain relief. These can cause bleeding, which you don't need when you have a possibly hemorragic disease. Instead, use acetaminophen (Tylenol) for fever/pain relief.

 

There's no cure for dengue, all you can do is treat the symptoms, so take Tylenol, keep hydrated, and wait for it to pass. . .