Friday, November 9, 2012

Blog 11: As Dengue Fever Sweeps India, a Slow Response Stirs Experts’ Fears


There is an epidemic of dengue fever in India that is causing a growing alarm. The government have refused to acknowledge the size of the problem that is threatening millions of people. India is the focus of a mosquito- borne plague that is spreading across the globe. It was reported in a few countries in the 1950’s. Now the epidemic has spread throughout half the world. It is a tropical disease that is only life- threatening for a small percentage of the people infected. Many Western tourists are returning from vacations with dengue fever now that it has reached the shores of United States and Europe. In India, contributions to the epidemics growth include areas of standing water and hospitals have become overrun with patients. Officials say that over 30,000 people have been infected with the dengue fever just through October.  Under reporting of the disease contributed to the diseases spread. There have also been discouraged efforts to clean up the sources of the diseased. This has also caused a slowed effort in the search for a vaccine. This disease is also able to hide in plain sight because many people who are infected only show mild symptoms of fatigue. 20 percent of those infected have more serious flu like symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, skin rash, and muscle aches that can be so powerful the disease has the nickname of backbone fever.

This article is significant because there are a number of people who are un diagnosed and do not know that their infection could cause an increase in this illness. Without the proper care for the disease and vaccine the disease will continue to spread not only throughout India but throughout the world. Something needs to be done to stop the dengue fever from spreading and to help others recover from this illness.  

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