Majority of Caymanians not too concerned about dengue fever: poll
The Cayman Islands saw the most dengue fever cases in several decades in 2012, so much that the western Caribbean Islands are now considered endemic for the mosquito borne viral disease.
Aedes aegypti Image/CDC
However, the recent surge in cases of the potentially lethal virus has not caused more than half of people surveyed to take any additional precautions to prevent contracting the infection, according to cayCompass.com online poll released today.
According to the survey of 310 respondents, 160, or 51.6 percent said they are taking the same amout of precautions as they did prior to the islands being considered endemic.
More than 35 percent of respondents are taking a little or a lot more precautions since the announcement.
Amazingly, nearly 10 percent of those who took the poll responded “What is dengue fever?”
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
Dengue fever of multiple types is found in most countries of the tropics and subtropics particularly during and after rainy season.
The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades. Over 2.5 billion people – over 40% of the world’s population – are now at risk from dengue. The World Health Organization currently estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year.
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