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Dengue warning for travellers to India

DUBAI — Though no vaccine is available yet for dengue fever which has taken the form of an epidemic in India, travellers to the country have been asked to take precautionary measures.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Health, however, said that the UAE was free of the disease. “Luckily, the climate of the country does not allow for the breeding of the mosquito that spreads the disease,” said Dr Juma Bilal Al Fairouz, Director of Disease Control in Dubai. “The travellers should try and avoid visiting the highly infected areas,” advised Dr Juma.

He also said for at least the past 10 years, no case had been reported to the ministry. “Anybody bringing the disease into the country cannot infect other people because the disease was not communicable. All these might be imported cases only,” he added.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Assitant Undersecretary for Preventive Medicine at MoH refused to give detailed information on the issue. “We will implement whatever precautionary measures the World Health Organisation has asked countries to do,” he added.

Dengue is a viral fever caused by an alpha virus which is spread by mosquito bites. A particular type of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti, which is normally active during the day, is the carrier of the virus.

The viral infection has already claimed many fatalities in India. WHO’s regional guidelines on dengue prevention and control also say that no vaccine and specific drugs are available for prevention of the dengue infection, hence the control is primarily dependent on the control of Aedes Aegypti.