Dengue & influenza are most life-threatening among wide-spreading diseases: HPA

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed that dengue and influenza are two of the most dangerous among communicable and wide-spreading diseases.

Epidemiologist Dr. Ibrahim Afzal appeared on RaajjeTV's Fala Surukhee program on Wednesday night, where he stated that the seriousness of a disease depends on two factors; the number of people it affects and if it is life-threatening.

As such, dengue and influenza are two of the most conspicuous diseases among those that spread widely over the Maldives, due to adverse weather, and several other reasons.

Noting that a doctors’ panel will look into deaths caused by such wide-spreading diseases, Dr, Afzal said that records are kept of the deceased from the first day they consult with symptoms.

Further, the doctor said that influenza and dengue outbreaks occur during times every year across outlying atolls. Due to this, a team from HPA travels to outlying islands on a regular basis to monitor the rise of said diseases, said Dr. Afzal.

Highlighting that public cooperation is vital to curb the spread of such diseases, Dr. Afzal urged the public to get rid of mosquito-breeding sites and take precautionary measures to control mosquito infestations.

HPA has also advised the public to take vaccination and precautionary treatment for influenza in the coming days.

Some of the precautionary measures that have been urged include regular hand washing, taking more fluids if one catches the cold, only using paracetamol if one has a high temperature, covering one’s nose and mouth when coughing to make sure that others don’t get infected, wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants and using mosquito repellent lotions or sprays to prevent dengue fever.

While influenza and its complications can be deadly, individuals who are 65 and older, individuals with certain chronic medical conditions like diabetes, asthma or heart diseases, pregnant women, children below five and those who have recently undergone a transplant are more prone to getting complications.

According to HPA, the vaccine will be available from STO and ADK Pharmacy.

The number of patients coming for doctor consultations increased following the outbreak since November, revealed HPA.