AUCKLAND, 21 DECEMBER 2017 (TVNZ) — If you’re travelling to the Pacific Islands this summer, protect yourself against mosquitoes.
That’s the warning from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service after a number of dengue fever cases in the city, with 70 per cent believed to have originated from Samoa.
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Medical Officer of Health Dr Denise Barnfather urged anyone travelling to the Pacific to exercise caution.
Symptoms of dengue fever include the sudden onset of fever for two to seven days, an intense headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a skin rash.
It can also lead to dengue haemorrhagic fever, causing internal bleeding and much worse.
“Although the commonest time for bites is early morning and late afternoon, dengue-carrying mosquitoes also bite all through the day,” Dr Barnfather said.
Using insect sprays, mosquito coils and nets, and using air conditioning, are effective ways to prevent being bitten…. PACNEWS [/restrict]