# 5749
A couple of weeks ago in Dengue Roundup: Puerto Rico, Florida, Bahamas, I wrote about the rise in Dengue fever cases being reported in the Bahamas. Those numbers have continued to climb, and this week the United States Embassy in Nassau issued the following email alert.
Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens: Bahamas, Dengue Fever Warning
Disease Outbreak
Western Hemisphere > Bahamas
8/9/2011
U.S. Embassy Nassau released the following Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens on August 9, 2011:
U.S. citizens should be aware of the recent dengue fever outbreak in The Bahamas. In the past few weeks, over 200 cases have been reported and almost 1,000 cases have been reported of individuals suffering from symptoms that match dengue.
The Ministry of Health has begun spraying local communities, especially the more densely populated areas, and they have stressed to the public the importance of prevention.
The local government continues to combat this outbreak through greater public awareness of dengue and the importance of mosquito control.
The lengthy email then goes into detail on the causes, transmission, symptoms, and treatment of the illness.
The email offers the following advice:
How Can I Prevent Dengue?
The best way to prevent dengue virus infection is to take special precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Several dengue vaccines are being developed, but none is likely to be licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in the next few years.
When outdoors in an area where dengue fever has been found, use a mosquito repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus are less effective than DEET so are not recommended as a substitute unless there is an allergy or a contraindication to DEET or it is unavailable. Dress in protective clothing-long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes.
Because Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, be sure to use precautions especially during early morning hours before daybreak and in the late afternoon before dark.
Other precautions include:Keep surrounding areas free from free standing water.
Wear long sleeves and light colored clothes.
Use insect repellent when outside.
Unscreened windows should be kept closed to prevent the mosquitoes from entering.
Carefully inspect your environment to detect and eliminate all areas with standing water where mosquitoes can breed, such as flower pots, containers, birdbaths, discarded tires, etc.
