All news

Dengue-fever case confirmed in southwestern Siberia

A resident of Kemerovo caught this tropical disease during his trip to Thailand

KEMEROVO, March 12 (Itar-Tass) – A resident of Kemerovo in southwestern Siberia has been confirmed to suffer Dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever, the regional department of the Russian consumer rights watchdog told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

He caught this tropical disease during his trip to Thailand.

The preliminary diagnosis was made at the end of February. On March 5 the patient’s blood serum was sent to the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vektor in Novosibirsk.

“Today we received the results confirming the diagnosis,” the department’s official, Larisa Sizova, said.

The second case of Dengue fever has already been registered in the region since the beginning of the year. In January a resident of Prokopyevsk, a town in the Kemerovo region, who also returned from her vacation in Thailand, received a similar diagnosis.

Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash.

Sizova said the disease has been registered in the region for the first time for all years of observation.

Since the beginning of this year epidemic outbreaks of Dengue fever have been registered in Peru, Paraguay, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, the Cayman Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Last year 37 imported cases of Dengue fever were registered in Russia. In January 2013 there were already 29 such cases, mainly imported from Thailand.

The Russian consumer rights watchdog recommends tourists to take care of their health and use protective means from mosquitoes while visiting countries, where this disease is spread.