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| Costa Rica sees sharp surge in dengue fever |
San José / AFP
06/17/2005
The popular tourist destination of Costa Rica has seen a sharp uptick
in dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that can be deadly, Costa
Rica's health minister warned Saturday. More than 4,4000 cases have
been reported since the start of the year, a spike of 51 percent over
2004.
At least half of the cases were contracted on the Caribbean coast
of the small Central American country. According to the World Health
Organization, between 50 and 100 million people are infected around
the world each year with dengue fever.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever, the most serious strain of the disease,
kills 20,000 people annually. There is no known cure or vaccine for
dengue fever, characterized by high fevers, headaches and muscle pain.
Once limited to Southeast Asia, dengue hemorrhagic fever has spread
to Indian Ocean nations, the South Pacific and Latin America.
Unchecked urbanization, lack of mosquito control programs, natural
disasters and poverty exacerbate the spread of the disease.
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