Hemorrhagic dengue kills 11 in Colombia

Colombia has seen 1,842 cases of classic dengue fever so far this year, 11 people were were killed by hemorrhagic dengue fever, according to official statistics published on Sunday.

The worst-hit department was Sucre, where 1,242 cases have been found and four people have died.

In the department of La Guajira, the epidemic has left three dead. Over 200 classic dengue cases have been found, and more than 100 of them have become hemorrhagic dengue.

In Cesar, two children have died of the disease. The municipalities of Valledupar and La Jagua de Ibirico have witnessed the most cases.

The department of Atlantico has also seen two deaths.

Dengue fever, a viral infection spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, is a serious health problem in many Central American and Caribbean countries. Its symptoms include high fever, nausea, rashes, backache and headaches. Most mainstream dengue cases are not fatal, but the hemorrhagic variant, which causes severe internal bleeding as blood vessels collapse, kills one in 20 of those infected.

The World Health Organization said the only way to fight dengue was to stamp out mosquitoes, which reproduce in bodies of water from puddles to lakes and reservoirs. Some 50 million people are infected with dengue each year, most of them in the tropical regions.

Source: Xinhua