Dengue fever travel warning

The Irish Tropical Medical Bureau has warned travellers about the current dengue fever outbreak in tourist resorts throughout Asia including Vietnam, Thailand, the Caribbean, and along the Brazilian coast to Rio de Janeiro..

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease with a global distribution now comparable to that of malaria.

Dengue mosquitoes bite by day whereas malarial mosquitoes bite by night. The condition is characterised by the sudden onset of fever, headache, muscle and joint pain.

The disease also decreases the number of white cells and platelets in the blood and can produce shock and haemorrhage, leading to death.