Mexico City.- The Ministry of Health has launched a nationwide dissemination campaign on radio and social media to prevent dengue in view of the increase in cases so far in 2024.
According to the agency’s most recent epidemiological data, 30,951 cases of dengue and at least 80 deaths have been recorded this year, which represents a considerable increase compared to 2023.
In the same period last year, according to official figures, a total of 8,291 cases and 14 deaths were recorded.
The Ministry of Health said the campaign aims to prevent the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease, and to alert the population to the warning signs of this disease.
The campaign, which was broadcast on radio stations in the 32 federal entities, both public and private, consists of two 30-second spots.
The first one focuses on preventive measures that everyone can put into practice, while the second one provides information on warning signs so that people can go to the nearest medical unit.
In addition, it is recommended not to self-medicate to prevent the disease from causing complications.
As part of the campaign, information is also disseminated on institutional networks of the sector headed by the Ministry of Health, which address relevant issues such as dengue transmission, characteristics, preventive measures and medical care.
In addition to the campaign, the department is making available to the sector’s personnel the Medical Care Protocol for cases of dengue virus infection, with detailed information on the proper management of patients in accordance with the current behavior of the disease.
Warning symptoms include a temperature above 38 degrees, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, abdominal pain or pain behind the eyes, as well as nausea, vomiting, rash, general malaise and low blood pressure.
Symptoms begin between the third and seventh day of infection. Patients who experience bleeding from various parts of the body should be treated in an equipped medical unit.
Dengue is a disease that can cause death if treated too late, since there are no medications that cure it, only those that control the symptoms.
Children under five years of age, pregnant women, older adults and those with comorbidities are the population most at risk of developing the most severe form of this disease.
Currently, four serotypes of the dengue virus circulate in Mexico: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4.
The most widely circulating is serotype 3, which has not been present in the country for several years, causing people to lose immunity.
The Ministry of Health calls on people living in areas at risk of dengue to remove trash and containers that collect water to prevent the creation of breeding grounds, and to avoid exposing the skin to mosquito bites by using repellents, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, as well as mosquito nets.
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