Catherine Petitnicolas

This tropical fever, fostered by the proliferationof mosquitoes during this period of rains, has affected 72 people in recent weeks.
Dengue, also called fever or flu tropical red, re-emerged in New Caledonia, where 72 cases were recorded compared to 29 yesterday, there was less than two weeks, on Feb. 12. Because of the increase in the number of cases, health authorities reported the epidemic situation in the territory.

Several homes were seen Dumbéa in the suburbs of Noumea, where there were 26 people sick, and on the island of Lifou in the east of the main island, where 12 cases have been reported. And several people were hospitalized.

The rainfall and high temperatures currently raging encourage the proliferation of mosquitoes which transmit the tropical fever.

This viral disease transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, causes a high fever of 39 ° C to 41 ° C accompanied by severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, an itchy rash on the trunk and members. Convalescence accompanied by pain and great fatigue lasts at least two weeks.


Use repellents

The severity of the disease is due to the complicating haemorrhagic form 1% of cases: fever persists for two to seven days and is accompanied by bleeding multiple gastrointestinal, skin and brain. This is a potentially lethal complication, but the cure may be rapid, total and without sequelae. The treatment is purely symptomatic (paracetamol), but aspirin is contraindicated.

Most patients were suffering from a dengue type 1, originally in a 2003-2004 epidemic affecting 6500 people and killed 19 of them. But the outbreak of dengue type 4 and 2, imported by individuals who have traveled to Indonesia, worrying authorities who fear a spread faster because the population immune to these two other types are low. Health authorities have recommended to use repellents, destroy their breeding grounds.

Dengue formerly confined to the South-East Asia continues to grow, the Indian Ocean, South Pacific and especially in Latin America.