We have been hearing that a flu type bug has hit Porto Rico & other islands. Has it hit St. Thomas? If so how serious is it?

Dengue Fever has been cropping up in Puerto Rico and a few cases in STT. This illness is caught by being bitten by a mosquite with the bug.

Bring plenty of mosquite spray and clothing to cover you at night to reduce the pssoiblity. This illness is similar to the flu, but has more symptom and a miserble time for about 2 weeks.

I had dengue fever in the early 1980s. I finally went to the hospital and was admitted with a 104.7 temperature. They quarantined me and held me under observation for two weeks. They told my mother I would either get better or die, and there was not much that they could do.

If you feel flu like symptoms coming on after being in the islands, go to the hospital immediately.

I'Ve lived here on STT for over two decades and have fortunately never succumbed to dengue fever. I've known many people over many years who have had it but have never heard of anyone such as "no0ne" whose mother was told that he'd either get better or die.

It's generally not a life-threatenng problem but of course there are always exceptions where basic immune systems are compromised for whatever reason and can't slough it off. The symptoms of dengue are apparently very similar to those of infuenza.

Visitors here are always cautioned to arm themselves not only with regularly-applied sunscreens but with mosquito repellants for use particularly during early evening hours. Cheers!

Traveling Man,
Google "Dengue Fever", You will find that USA Today has a Headline (Puerto Rico Warns of Dengue Fever Outbreak ), with seven suspected deaths from the disease this year 2007. Also there is a tag line by the Associated Press that says Latin America and the Caribbean islands have reported 200 deaths due to Dengue Fever this year 2007. There is alot of information about this virus on the net as well.

There are different strains of dengue fever. The one they are concerned about in PR is the strain 3 dengue fever. It has never been reported in the VI as of yet and they want to be sure if you visit PR and get sick that you get help. Medical officaials need to know if strain 3 ends up here because it one of the more serious strains. The VI Daily News had an article that was worth reading: [www.virginislandsdailynews.com] Or just go to their site and search for "dengue" (on the left panel, towards the bottom there is a search option).
You can also have flu like symptoms from being dehydrated. So make sure you drink plenty of water while you are visiting. When I first moved here years ago I thought I had the flu or dengue and it turns out I just wasn't drinking enough and was dehydrated.

I got Dengue once, believe it or not when I was pregnant! Felt extremely tired all the time and couldn't figure it out! Finally got the rash all over my body and then finally knew what it was! Came thru with flying colors! It does depend on the strain and this is the first that I am hearing that it is going around now. I know of no one who has ever passed, tho I know it is possible.
Use precaution as usual.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a dengue outbreak alert that included Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil.
Symptoms of Dengue Fever are: fever, body aches and general tiredness,. Bone and joint pain are other key symptoms, and at the end of its run a rash often appears. No coughing or cold symptoms are associated with it,
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