An expert warns of a possible outbreak of dengue and Zika fever in Portugal

Speaking to Agency Lusa about the 6th Congress of Tropical Medicine, which begins today in Lisbon, Filomeno Fortis noted that the Aedes albopictus mosquito – which can transmit Zika, dengue and chikungunya – has already been identified in Portugal – and that the eggs can remain in a hibernating state. for more than a year.

“It is enough to touch water for a mosquito to hatch. This mosquito has a characteristic: it is infected once and it is for life,” the official explained, considering that the possibility of Portugal being infected with eggs is “large.” “.

The alert comes from the head of the Institute of Health and Tropical Medicine (IHMT) after, at the beginning of the month, the World Health Organization warned that Europe was at risk of outbreaks of dengue and Zika in the summer, drawing attention to the need. to the authorities to increase vigilance.

Filomeno Fortes indicated that the “Aedes albopictus” mosquito had already been found in Madeira and in northern (Penafil) and southern (Mertola) of mainland Portugal, considering that this increases the possibility of outbreaks of dengue, Zika and chikungunya, which are diseases that cause bleeding and could be killer.

“The national health system must be prepared for the possibility of suspicious cases,” the official said, noting that there are rapid tests to detect these three hemorrhagic syndromes.

Alert – and considered – that these tests “should be available nationally so that any health professional who suspects a case of dengue, chikungunya or Zika” can turn immediately and get a preliminary diagnosis.

The expert insisted on the need to be careful and call health professionals: “These cases are usually confused with influenza.”

“These are typical situations where a person has a fever, body aches, chills and the tendency to say it’s the flu. Say everything’s fine, it must be the flu,” he explained.

He also advocated that in the case of confirmed cases “intensive care professionals should know how to manage serious cases”.

He materialized with dengue, which can lead to multiple organ failure, but because it’s a very specific failure, “critical care physicians need to know what the immediate measures are.”

“These patients are usually rescued in the first 24 to 48 hours,” said Filomeno Fortis, otherwise “the risk of death is great,” stressing that among the three diseases, the one most developing worldwide is dengue. , which “deserves more attention”.

The head of the IHMT also drew attention to the need for a surveillance and surveillance program in view of the possibility of one of these epidemics occurring in Europe, particularly in Portugal.

In addition to epidemiological surveillance, Filomeno Fortis pointed out the need for entomological (for mosquitoes) surveillance in areas where mosquitoes have been identified: “There should be teams that travel regularly to these areas, trying to capture the vectors and eventually identify their potential infection.”

The specialist also noted that migratory movements could increase the likelihood of infected people entering Europe.

What contributes most to the potential for outbreaks in Europe, he said, is climate change, forest destruction, land, water and air pollution and biodiversity change, “which means that parasites, vectors and viruses are adapting in areas and conditions where they previously could not survive.”