Protect yourselves against mosquito bites to avoid dengue fever - GHS urges public
Following the outbreak of dengue fever in the Eastern and Central regions, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has emphasised the need for people to protect themselves against mosquito bites.
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That, it said, should be coupled with adherence to all other precautionary protocols such as preventing breeding grounds for mosquitoes as much as possible while clearing existing ones.
Dengue fever is primarily transmitted by mosquito species called “Aedes aegypti” commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito. The mosquito species is easily recognisable by the white markings on its legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the upper surface of its thorax.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said mosquitoes bred in stagnant water, uncovered containers of water, swamps, gutters, pools, old tyres containing water, among others.
He said curbing transmission was a shared responsibility, and called on all stakeholders, particularly the general public, to do their part to complement GHS’s efforts and the national dengue fever response agenda.
“Preventing dengue fever involves both personal protection against mosquito bites and community efforts to reduce mosquito breeding sites,” he said. He mentioned other precautionary measures to include wearing protective clothing; the use of mosquito repellents and ensuring that water containers were tightly covered if they must be kept around the home.
“Discard water in containers if it is not being used,ensure receptacles that could collect water, such as empty cocoa pods or coconut shells, are properly discarded.
“Sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets, whether indoors or outdoors, do not self-medicate. Report to the nearest health facility if you have a high-grade fever”. “In the light of the recent dengue fever outbreak in some parts of the country the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has heightened efforts to educate the public on effective prevention measures,” he said.
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Role of health workers
Dr Kuma-Aboagye said health workers played a critical role in managing and preventing the spread of dengue fever and urged them to enhance surveillance of clinical malaria cases and ensure laboratory confirmation for all suspected cases.
He also asked them to educate patients and communities about the symptoms and prevention of dengue fever while reporting and managing dengue cases promptly to prevent severe complications.
Throwing more light on dengue fever, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the condition which often mimicked the symptoms of malaria was caused by the dengue virus, which was transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
“These mosquitoes are most active during the day, with peak biting periods early in the morning and before dusk,” he said.
He said it presented a sudden onset of high-grade fever, fatigue, severe headache -primarily in the forehead, body aches —muscle, bone, and joint pains,nausea and or vomiting, rashes and mild bleeding.
Case update
As of July 17, 2024, there have been 36 confirmed cases of dengue in both the Eastern and Central regions. Those cases were detected in communities by healthcare workers using an appropriate case definition.
Notably, out of all these cases, only one required hospital admission and had since been discharged. The rest of the patients were stable and being managed at home.
Background
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) issued a press release on July 14, 2024, announcing an outbreak of dengue fever in certain districts of the Eastern Region. In response to this outbreak, a team from the National level, consisting of entomologists and epidemiologists, joined the regional team to undertake a comprehensive outbreak investigation.
That effort was extended to adjoining districts in the Eastern and Central Regions, which had reported symptoms similar to malaria. Numerous samples from suspected cases have been submitted to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for confirmation.
It also held community durbars to facilitate risk communication in the affected districts and beyond.
Writer’s email: Doreen.andoh@graphic.com.Ghana