Oct 3, Kabul - A case of dengue fever has been confirmed through the National Public Health Laboratory and reported through the National Disease Surveillance and Response (NDSR) system in Afghanistan on 3 October. This is the first time the virus is detected in the country. The 21-year-old patient reported with travel history to India during the incubation period and has been admitted to an infectious diseases hospital in Kabul for treatment.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is transmitted between humans by Aedes mosquitoes. The disease manifests as a flu-like illness with symptoms including high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash. The virus circulates in the blood of an infected person for 2-7 days, at approximately the same time that person develops a fever. Patients who are already infected with the dengue virus can transmit the infection via Aedes mosquitoes after the first symptoms appear (during 4-5 days; maximum 12). Occasionally it develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue.
Working with the Ministry of Public Health and partners, WHO is supporting the response and the investigation of the case. Since 2007, over 4700 disease outbreaks have been investigated and responded to through the NDSR system. WHO has been providing technical assistance to the implementation of the system including the early warning component, zoonosis prevention and control, as well as avian and pandemic influenza control and prevention.
