Govt hospitals on alert to tackle Dengue cases, victims on the mend

Hospitals in Oman are being put on standby to deal with patients who present symptoms of dengue, after four cases were discovered in the Sultanate.

Three Omanis and one expat were found to have contracted the disease—spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito— in the wilayat of Seeb.

However, three of the patients who were diagnosed with dengue fever in Oman have recovered, a top official at the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

Symptoms of dengue include sudden, high fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, and mild bleeding from the gums and nose. Symptoms begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days.

Dr. Abdullah bin Bashir Al Manji from the Department of Epidemiological Investigation at the General Directorate for Disease Control at the Ministry of Health told Times of Oman, “Three patients who were diagnosed with dengue last week have recovered. I can’t confirm if the number of cases of dengue fever has increased or not so far, as the samples have to be sent to the laboratory.”

“Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with the dengue virus. The patients contracted the virus during the last two weeks in the wilayat of Seeb and not from outside the country,” he explained.

Al Manji added that the mosquito survey will now cover the wilayat of Bausher.

He said, “Azaiba, Al Khuwair, Ghala and other areas of Bausher will also be covered after the wilayat of Seeb; in these areas, teams will investigate and control the spread of the mosquitoes.”

He appealed to citizens and residents to cooperate with the teams.