Worldwide spread

New alert level: Italy fears dengue fever

Dengue infections are spreading rapidly in Brazil.(Bild: AFP)

Following the dengue crisis in Brazil and the worldwide increase in the fever, Italy has decided to raise the alert level at ports and airports. Transport companies operating in affected countries are to be subject to particular scrutiny.

The order was issued by the Ministry of Health after the World Health Organization recently declared that a surprising increase in dengue infections worldwide poses a potentially high threat to public health and that Brazil is facing a severe dengue crisis.

Dengue infections are spreading rapidly in Brazil.(Bild: AFP)

Infection is notifiable
According to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, 30 to 120 dengue virus infections are diagnosed in Austria every year, so far exclusively among travelers returning from endemic areas. Dengue infections are a notifiable disease in Austria.

The tiger mosquito, which is now also native to Austria, is considered a dangerous carrier of the fever.(Bild: APA/JAMES GATHAN)

A new two-part vaccination has recently been approved in this country, which researchers say is highly effective. The current Austrian vaccination plan does not currently include a general vaccination recommendation for travelers to dengue endemic areas.

With around 390 million infections and up to 50,000 deaths worldwide every year, dengue fever is an extremely widespread tropical disease in South East Asia and Latin America.

Deadly tropical disease
The fever is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. Mild dengue fever causes high fever and flu-like symptoms. The severe form, also known as hemorrhagic dengue fever, can lead to severe bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.