City in dilemma over dengue

Dar es Salaam. In Tanzania, malaria has become so common that whenever a person catches fever, the disease is suspect number one.

Even the handling of malaria cases has become known to the majority, however, with the onset of dengue fever in the city, entire society is in a dilemma -- not knowing how to react to both diseases.

The Citizen has learnt that latest reports of the dengue outbreak are already creating confusion and panic among city residents -- prompting the need to draw the line between a victim of malaria and that of dengue fever.

Doctors at various health centres located in the most affected areas of Dar es Salaam are now working with extra vigilance—and are quick to rule out cases of dengue among patients who report at their facilities.

Dr Petro Napaiya from Temeke Hospital told this reporter yesterday that “fever has now become the most feared symptom’’ at the health facility -- so much that all doctors are ensuring maximum attention to a patient with fever, unlike in the past before the outbreak was reported.

The Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) is now appealing for concerted efforts to escalate public awareness on protection from the scourge.

The medical body’s president, Dr Primus Saidia, told The Citizen yesterday that “many people have now died without others knowing they had dengue, because its symptoms are similar to those of malaria and typhoid.’’

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease with symptoms like headache and joint pains, which can be mistaken for a typical malaria patient and according ordinary city residents like Mr Edward Moshi from Mwananyamala, reports of the recent outbreak have left him apprehensive.

Mr Moshi thinks he has acquired dengue because he had a fever three days ago and was treated for malaria at a clinic without actually confirming any malaria parasites in his blood.

“None of my tests was positive for any disease, so the doctor put me on anti-malarial medication basing on symptoms. But now I feel the fever hasn’t gone down despite having completed my dose,” he told The Citizen in an interview.

To others like Ms Harriet Kabyemela, a resident of Temeke Mikoroshini, it’s still difficult to figure out when one will be bitten by this mosquito that carries the dengue virus.

“I was bitten by a mosquito this morning,’’ she recalled. “Could it be this much feared mosquito? I don’t know,” she wondered.