Dozens of Dutch nationals hospitalised abroad with dengue fever

SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – So far this year, 56 Dutch nationals have been hospitalised abroad with dengue fever, RTL Nieuws said on Thursday. The figures come from the Eurocross organisation, which helps people who become ill abroad.

The 2019 figure is more than double the number of diagnoses in the same period last year. Dengue has increased dramatically within the last 20 years and there could be as many as 390 million infections a year, according to some estimates.

It is spread by mosquitoes and causes severe headaches, muscle pain and painful skin problems The disease is particularly prevalent in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and on the Philippines, all of which report an increase in cases in the general population this year, RTL said.

(DutchNews)