Dengue in San Juan?

[Slyfox16]

I read about this on a local San Juan site. Has anyone heard about this?

Traveler Health Alert: On 26 February 2010, the Puerto Rico Department of Health declared that we have a dengue epidemic on the island. Visit the Puerto Rico Health Department "Dengue Watch" web page (in Spanish only) for the latest data on cases across the island. Visit the CDC web site to learn how you can protect yourself from dengue, what the symptoms of dengue are, & what you should do if you suspect that you have dengue. B

[RayInPR]

Yes. The health department has declared a dengue epidemic here in PR.

 

Here are some news references ...

 

April 9: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=41990&ct_id=1&ct_name=1

April 9: http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Dengue-continues-to-decline-but-still-at-high-level

March 27: http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Health-continues-to-battle-dengue-epidemic

March 19: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=41299&ct_id=1&ct_name=1

March 13: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=41073&ct_id=1&ct_name=1

February 26: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=40614&ct_id=1&ct_name=1

 

And the current rains aren't helping anything. We go 19" yesterday (yes, 19 inches of rain in one day). And this is DRY season!

[rainforestgirl]

This sounds totally scary, but it is a similar situation as in the states with Lyme disease from the deer ticks.

Dengue is a possibility in all tropical places. Currently, it is also a big problem on St Martin and St Barts.

 

You can reduce your chances of contacting the disease by using precautions (read the references). The easiest one- use insect repellent (OFF).