DENGUE FEVER

Evening Star, Issue 19197, 13 March 1926, Page 3

DENGUE FEVER

TIDE IHVERELI OUTBREAK Pimm Association— By Telegraph—Copyright Australian and N.Z. Press Association. SYDNEY, March 12. (Received March 13. at 1 a.m.) The town of Inverell is still in the throes of an outbreak of c enguo fever. Over 00 per cent, of the inhabitants are suffering from t!m disease in a more or less serious tmin. Business within the town is greatly affected. MILL I T REACH ‘ SYDNEY ? NOT CONSIDERED LIKEIA . Hundreds of people are arriving m Sydney daily from the dengue fevei infected areas of Queensland ad northern New South Maes (sips the Sydney ‘Daily Telegraph ot February 25). , The first epidemic of any importance on record has broken out in the 'cpcastle district, showing that the disease has worked its way smith A hat are the possibilities of a widespread outbreak in Sydney? Officials of the Public Health Department yesterday expressed the opinion Hint notwithstanding the proximity of infected areas and the influx of pooplo from the norili, it is unlikely that there will be an epidemic in'the metropolitan area. Thov base their opinions on the tact that the particular variety of mosquito inculpated as a carrier of germs —the stegomvia fnsciata—has never been found here. M'hethcr the hordes of mosquitoes infesting Sydney will fail as carriers, if put to_ the test, remains to be seen. Investigations in the past, while they incriminated the stegomvia fasciati. did not definitely rule out the possibility of other breeds acting ns carrying agencies. ILLN ESS A T PAR KAM A TTA.

A medical man from the North Coast, who is visiting Sydney, told an interesting story yesterday. A girl went from a North Coast town, where dengue is prevalent, to Parramatta, jml a dav nr two after her arrival was taken ill. In all probability it was a ease of dengue, said tbe doctor, but the illness was diagnosed as influenza. Most Sydnev doctors, it may bo stated, have no personal experience so far with dengue. But if dengue were to break out in Sydney the consequences probably would not be anything more serious than a good deal" of personal discomfort and some dislocation of business. The mortality from the complaint is practically nil. The symptoms of the fever arc a sudden rise in temperature to 103 Dr 104. severe headache, pain in the tyo-balls, ,suffusion of the face, and jxtreme prostration. The victims ihould go straight to bed. After three or four days there is i temporary return of the temperature to normal, followed at a, short interval by a return of all the first symptoms, together with a rash. As 0 rule, in this second onslaught the temperature is not as high as at the outset. The fever subsides in another day or two, but the pains may ]>ersis't for some time. Patients arc left very weak.

Dengue is distinguished from infiuen/ia chiefly hy its double fever, the rash, and the absence of colds. STEGOMYIA FASCIA TA. The stegomyia fasciata (it is the female which docs the damage), is a. little black mosquito that bites in the daytime. It makes no noise, ami people may not know when they arc bitten. They find that out in four to nine days’ time, which is the period occupied by incubation of the dengue germ. The last serious epidemic of dengue occurred in Queensland and Northern New South Males in 1910. No deaths occurred, but there was a severe dislocation of business.