04.32 pm, Tuesday February 14 2012

Dengue fever stings north Queensland

17:15 AEDT Thu Jan 8 2009
By Petrina Berry
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A mosquito
Queensland will ramp up its dengue education campaign as north Queensland battles two outbreaks.

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The Queensland government will ramp up its dengue fever education campaign as north Queensland battles two outbreaks this summer.

Cairns is the worst affected with 83 patients, while Townsville has five confirmed cases.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the dengue response team was working flat out, but the good news was that south-east Queensland was free of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

"There is regular testing throughout the state to see what the extent of the spread of two types of mosquitoes that spread dengue," Mr Robertson said.

"South-east Queensland, from our latest information, is free from that infestation of mosquitoes but that is something we continue to monitor."

He said health experts were heading to Cairns on Friday to further assess the situation and Queensland Health would ramp up its education campaign.

Details of the campaign are yet to be announced but would include more public awareness of how to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.

"It is spread by mosquitoes that live in household environments so the more the people can do to keep their yard free from water at the bottom of flower pots and old tyres then that would reduce the environment dengue mosquitoes have to breed," he said.

Other preventative measures include wearing long pants and long sleeves, mosquito repellent, limiting exposure to mosquitoes by staying indoors two hours after sunrise and before sunset.

The most serious form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever, can be fatal, especially in young children.

Cairns hasn't seen an outbreak since 2006, when 29 people were infected with dengue type two.

Queensland Health has so far carried out a dengue blitz in homes and businesses inspecting yards and setting traps to kill dengue mosquitoes.

Townsville-based tropical disease expert Peter Leggat said warmer temperatures would create more habitats for dengue mosquitoes.

"As we see issues of global warming confronting us ... of course there will be increased areas of potential habitation for these mosquitoes," Dr Leggat, from James Cook University, told ABC Radio.

 
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