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Hurricane Mitch was the most destructive storm in the Atlantic Basin in the past
200 years. It reached sustained wind speeds of 180 mph while moving into the
western Caribbean but the main destruction resulted from intense rainfall.
Outbreaks of dengue fever, following a hurricane/tropical storms in The
Caribbean and Central American countries may increase the likelihood of future
autochthonous transmission. The recent heavy rains and floods have hindered
public health control efforts because some areas had been rendered inaccessible
for an effective health-needs survey. Moreover, mosquito vectors are widely
distributed in these countries and because community public health officials’
and physicians’ awareness of dengue is low and specialized laboratory
diagnostic methods are not available locally, low-level dengue transmission may
go undetected. Even though the dengue IgM test is the most appropriate assay for
determining current infection, it is not routinely performed and may not be
readily available if requested. An educational campaign for health officials and
health-care providers and an active laboratory-based surveillance program that
facilitated prompt, accurate diagnosis of dengue to assess the risk for local
dengue fever transmission should be implemented.
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