The Department of Public Health and Social Services announced last Friday that two cases of dengue fever have been diagnosed on Guam so far this year, one of which was contracted in the Philippines and another in Yap. However, the department stated that dengue is not being spread on Guam.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also issued an outbreak notice occurring predominantly on Majuro in the Marshall Islands. The dengue outbreak, according to the U.S. CDC, is the first for the nation.
According to media reports, the Ministry of Health of the Marshall Islands is considering declaring a state of emergency as the outbreak reached 11 confirmed cases as of last Thursday. However, other media reports indicate that number may have climbed to 60 cases.
Dengue is a disease in humans caused by a bite from mosquitoes infected with dengue. The disease cannot be spread by human-to-human contact, according to DPHSS.
Symptoms of dengue include high fever, severe headache, backache, joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain and rash. The severe form of dengue — dengue hemorrhagic fever — begins with the same symptoms but is followed by hemorrhagic signs such as bruising and bleeding.
DPHSS is advising residents to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds such as loose tires or any container that can hold water, and to change the water in flower vases.
