First dengue death in Trincomalee reported

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2003, 16:44 GMT]
Death due to dengue fever was reported in the Trincomalee district Wednesday for the first time. A six-year-old girl who was reported to have contracted dengue fever later died at the Trincomalee general hospital, provincial health authorities said.

The health authorities immediately deployed more health officials to the Orr's Hill area in Trincomalee to take preventive measures against the spread of dengue, officials said.

A five-year-old boy in Kantalai town suffering from dengue fever has been admitted at the area government hospital, medical sources said.

"Dengue is spread through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito gets the virus by biting an infected person. The first symptoms of the disease occur about 5-7 days after the infected bite. There is no way to tell if a mosquito is carrying the dengue virus. Therefore, people must protect themselves from all mosquito bites," said a provincial medical official.

The official said that all control efforts have been taken to eliminate mosquitoes and their breeding places in the Orr's Hill area.