Okay, so maybe it doesn’t make for the catchiest children’s song, but dengue is the hot topic right now in Nicaragua. The disease, caused by four related strains of virus (meaning that you have the opportunity to experience dengue up to four separate times!), lasts 2 to 7 days. Symptoms include high fever; chills; nausea and vomiting; headache and pain behind the eyes; muscular, joint, and bone pain; and loss of appetite. Enough to make anyone miserable to be sure, but dengue comes with the frightening possible bonus of becoming hemorrhagic, resulting in internal bleeding, respiratory difficulties, or/and shock. No vaccine currently exists for dengue, nor do medicines to treat the illness (outside of acetaminophen, which is only to manage the fever and pain. And a word of advice for all those who may contract dengue, presently or in the future: do NOT use aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, as they will lead to complications).
Cases of dengue are popping up all over the country, throwing the Ministry of Health into a state of emergency. Prevention of the disease largely depends on behavioral and environmental change, so daily outings are being made into the communities in order to provide information and education to the residents. Additionally, larvacide is being applied to all receptacles containing water not meant for consumption. Finally, homes and public buildings are being systematically fumigated inside and out. These are all excellent steps toward curbing the rate of infection in Nicaragua, and I applaud MINSA’s efforts to act quickly with regard to this public health threat. However, if I could offer one piece of advice to improve the process, it would be this: check to make sure that all people have cleared an area before you begin to spray your toxic chemicals. Not only is it mildly terrifying to suddenly find yourself in an opaque white cloud of noxious gas, it will also most likely leave you incapacitated for the rest of the day due to the feelings of nausea, lightheadedness, and dizziness that you will experience (let’s not even think about the possible long term damage to your body that such chemicals may cause).
