Update on Dengue and Zika in PNG The Secretary of the National Department of Health, Mr Pascoe Kase issued a statement today to provide an update on the Dengue and Zika virus situations in Papua New Guinea. The Secretary said that recent testing by the PNG Institute of Medical Research of patients with fever illness has confirmed the presence of a dengue outbreak in Kiunga, Western province. As well as this outbreak there had been an outbreak of fever illness in Port Moresby since late February. Rapid diagnostic tests have identified dengue as the cause. Dengue causes fever, headache and body pains, and in some cases low blood pressure or bleeding. Dengue can become quite severe, requiring hospitalization and in worst cases, lead to the death of the patient. Zika virus causes a similar but milder illness, with a slight fever, rash, red eyes, headache and joint pain. Only 1 in 4 people infected with Zika will have symptoms. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days In relation to the Zika virus the Secretary said that since the matter had risen to prominence, testing has been undertaken on samples from patients presenting with fever illness from 2014 to the present. The results of this testing have found no conclusive evidence of prior cases and the ultimate conclusion is that there have been no confirmed cases prior to 2015. The Secretary advised that it is likely that the increase in mosquito-borne diseases circulating in multiple locations in PNG was due to an increase in the numbers of mosquitoes brought on by recent rains rather than any new diseases being brought into the Country. He repeated his warning that the best defence against the mosquito borne diseases was for people to follow the standard warnings; • Apply a reliable brand of personal mosquito repellent. • Wear light coloured clothes which covered exposed parts of the body. • Use window screens where possible. • Sleep under mosquito nets, particularly if sleeping during daylight hours. The World Health Organization also advises that women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant should take extra care to protect themselves from mosquito bites, according to Mr Kase. The Secretary stressed that it is crucial for people who become sick to seek the help of a health care professional rather than try to treat themselves. This had a number of benefits including getting the best treatment from an accurate diagnosis and receiving the best advice from a health care professional. The information gained also informs public health officials of disease trends and allows them to develop specific strategies to control them. The Secretary did point out that the Aedes mosquitoes, which carry both diseases, prefers to breed in artificial containers around homes. He asked everyone to make an effort to clean around their homes at least once a week by emptying discarding or covering containers that can hold water. These include such things as buckets, flower pots, old tyres, discarded cans and coconut shells. This reduces the places the mosquitos can breed and thus significantly reduces their numbers.
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