Public Health France has reported an increase in dengue cases in Guadeloupe and Martinique in recent weeks.
- Dengue is a viral disease that can cause various symptoms such as high fever, nausea, vomiting and headaches.
- Mosquitoes are the main vector of dengue fever.
- Numerous cases of dengue fever have been recorded in the Antilles, particularly in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
The dengue epidemic continues to spread in the Antilles, particularly in Guadeloupe and Martinique. In its latest epidemiological bulletin published on September 8, Public Health France indicated that “all dengue monitoring indicators continue to progress”in both departments.
Dengue fever: 17 people hospitalized in Guadeloupe and Martinique
Also called tropical flu, dengue is a viral pathology, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of a mosquito of the genus Aedes. During the week of August 28 to September 3, 600 cases clinically suggestive of dengue fever were reported in Guadeloupe, and 770 in Martinique. Concerning hospitalizations, 17 people were treated in the two departments. In total, six deaths have been recorded since the start of 2023 in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Cases of dengue fever have also been identified in Saint-Martin (one confirmed case) and Saint-Barthélemy (three confirmed cases). As Public Health France clarified, the epidemiological situation is “calm” on these two islands, but remains closely monitored by the health authorities.
Fever, headache, nausea… How to recognize dengue?
Dengue fever is characterized by the sudden onset of high fever associated with headache, nausea, vomiting, joint and muscle pain as well as a rash. “After three to four days, a brief remission is observed, then the symptoms intensify – conjunctival hemorrhages, nosebleeds or bruising may occur – before regressing rapidly after a week. Recovery s “accompanied by a convalescence of around fifteen days. Classic dengue fever, although very disabling, is not considered a severe disease like dengue hemorrhagic fever.”described the Pasteur Institute on its online platform.
In rare cases, however, a complication can occur: dengue hemorrhagic fever. This serious form of the disease results in persistent fever as well as multiple hemorrhages (gastrointestinal, skin and cerebral).