Description of the situation
31 October 1996
Disease Outbreak Reported
Since the report on 22 October, the daily bulletins from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in Delhi have informed of about 200 new cases of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever per day bringing the total number of cases to 7 427 at 29 October. Of these 297 (4%) have died. Dengue type 2 has been isolated from five cases by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
As there is no commercially available vaccine to prevent dengue, protection from mosquito bites is of utmost importance. Covering exposed areas of the body with insect repellent and sleeping under bed nets is effective personal protection against infection, while long-term protection can be accomplished by eliminating the mosquito breeding sites which are small collections of water in objects such as broken bottles, standing water, and even plants which collect and contain rain water such as the curled leaves of a banana tree. A fact sheet on dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever gives further information and advice.