# 4937
For the third week in a row the number of new Dengue cases being reported in Puerto Rico is off its highs of early August, albeit still at levels that far exceed the epidemic threshold.
The number of confirmed fatalities has reached 23, exceeding the 19 known deaths from the last big Dengue epidemic on the island in 1998.
Another 10 deaths are being investigated.
The Dengue epidemic in Puerto Rico this year has often been compared to the 1998 outbreak, and now has exceeded those numbers.
1998 Epidemic – MMWR November 13, 1998 / 47(44);952-6 http://tinyurl.com/3ae6vdd
Note: The sudden drop in cases detected in 1998 was due to Hurricane Georges interrupting surveillance efforts.
Much of Central and South America, along with the islands of the Caribbean, are dealing with unusually high numbers of Dengue cases this year.
Just this past Friday we learned that the Bahamas had issued a Dengue advisory (see Dengue Reports From The Bahamas).
PAHO, the Pan American Health Organization, recently issued these year-to-date numbers indicating more than 1 million total infections for the Americas.
You can find the latest weekly Dengue Surveillance Report HERE and will find more information in the recent MMWR report:
Notes from the Field: Dengue Epidemic --- Puerto Rico, January--July 2010
Weekly
July 23, 2010 / 59(28);878
For an extensive list of my blogs on Dengue and Mosquito Borne Diseases you can select the DENGUE Quick Search here, on my sidebar.
In the meantime, if you live in mosquito territory, be mindful of the 5 D’s.
