Paraguay: Risk of mosquito-borne diseases

Event

According to recent figures released by the Paraguayan government, transmission rates of mosquito-borne diseases are at relatively low levels as of late 2018. Between January and mid-October, 3413 cases of dengue fever (15 deaths), 67 cases of chikungunya, and four cases of the Zika virus were reported nationwide. To compare, more than 150,000 cases of dengue fever, including 252 associated fatalities, were reported in the country during an epidemic that struck in 2013.

All three diseases are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Context

Symptoms of dengue fever include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and rashes. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, the enlargement of the liver, and hemorrhaging.

Symptoms of chikungunya are similar; the virus is infrequently fatal but potentially debilitating joint pain can last for weeks, even months, after the initial recovery.

Symptoms of Zika - fever, headache (behind the eyes), conjunctivitis, rash, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain - can appear two to seven days following contraction of the disease, although the virus is asymptomatic in approximately 80 percent of cases. Transmission of the virus is also possible via sexual intercourse. Although the Zika virus is usually relatively benign, links between it and severe birth defects as well as the potentially fatal neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) have been established.

Advice

Individuals present in Paraguay are advised to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites (e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping in screened-in or air conditioned rooms) and to eliminate possible mosquito breeding grounds (small pockets of fresh water, such as rain water that has collected in cans, bottles, tires, flower pots, clogged gutters, etc.).