2023-08-29 17:42:56
Due to the appearance of West Nile fever spread by mosquitoes in Hungary, the National Public Health and Medicine Center (NNGYK) is asking the public to prevent mosquito bites and protect themselves against mosquitoes. In a statement sent to MTI on Tuesday, the center said: together with the cases diagnosed the previous week, the number of registered cases of West Nile fever this year rose to 15 (14 Hungarian and 1 “imported”).
Most of the patients are over 60 years old, and most of them were tested for West Nile fever due to neurological symptoms. The 14 Hungarian patients were diagnosed from Budapest and seven counties: in addition to the capital, from the counties of Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád-Csanád, Fejér, Hajdú-Bihar, Pest, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Tolna. According to the information, West Nile fever occurs in Hungary every year a seasonal (June-November) disease spread by mosquitoes.
The majority of people infected with the West Nile virus are asymptomatic, a few percent have mild, flu-like symptoms, which usually heal on their own within 3-6 days. Nervous system symptoms may occur in the case of the most elderly people, they added.
These are the most important things to do
The center drew attention to the fact that although the Asian tiger mosquito can also spread West Nile fever, its primary spreaders are mostly mosquitoes native to Hungary. The NNGYK therefore asks the population to protect themselves against mosquito bites. Wear long-sleeved, long-sleeved clothing to reduce the amount of skin exposed to stings. Outdoors, use insect repellants that can be applied to the skin, sprays, or mosquito coils or lamp oil.
In closed spaces, the most important thing is to install insect nets on the doors and windows, this is a safe, long-term and chemical-free solution. If mosquitoes have entered the apartment, they can be exterminated with a mosquito repellent vaporizer or aerosol, they said.
It was called particularly important to eliminate water reservoirs in the garden and yard, because mosquitoes can breed in them all over the country. In the announcement, they pointed out that the infection does not spread from person to person through mosquito bites, but it can be transmitted through organ donation and blood transfusion. In order to prevent this, blood donation is restricted in the area of diagnosed infections.
Since 2004, the EU directive on blood donation states the obligation to exclude blood donors if they have been in an area where there is a risk of local infection with West Nile virus. For this reason, there is continuous communication between the NNGYK and the National Blood Service.
If fever and joint pain occur 2-12 days after a mosquito bite, residents should definitely consult a doctor, they advised.
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