Great Britain: Dengue Cases Increase

London, May 12. -The cases of dengue more than doubled in the UK, where its incidence is associated with visits to India and Thailand, health authorities announced.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), in 2010 there were 406 people infected during foreign travel, a figure higher than that of 2009 when 166 were diagnosed.

Twenty-one percent of the detected cases contracted the disease in India, while 16 percent contracted it in Thailand.

Although dengue is an endemic disease of tropical countries of Asia, Africa and South America, the number of infections worldwide has increased in recent decades.

Along with an increase in dengue cases, an increase of those diagnosed with chikungunya fever, another viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, was registered in the UK .

This infection, also known as epidemic arthritis, causes severe joint pain.

To prevent an increase in cases with these infections, Jane Jones, head of the travel section of the HPA, recommended that tourists should use repellents to prevent bites. (Prensa Latina)