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Saturday, August 11, 2007

Cuba, Belgium seek to control dengue by community participation

Cuba, Belgium seek to control dengue by community participation
14:14, August 11, 2007

Cuba and Belgium announced Friday that they are to launch throughout the
island a joint experiment to control dengue fever using community
participation and if successful the initiative may be adapted and
expanded to other countries.

Health professionals said difficulties in dengue control were the result
of a lack of participation of the community and limited knowledge of
prevention methods.

The initiative is part of cooperation between Cuba and Belgium.

The dengue-control trial project in Cuba "is at top world level because
what is done here is in good quality, is successful, and good results
are obtained," Patrick van der Stuyft, a researcher from Belgium's
Tropical Medicine Institute, said.

Van der Stuyft, who was attending an international dengue event in
Havana, added that Cuba has carried out continuous dengue studies in the
past five years.

Cuban and Belgian specialists have collaborated in other investigations
of dengue fever for 10 years, as a way to communicate, modernize and
improve operations to fight the disease.

Dengue is caused by a virus transmitted to human beings by the Aedes
aegypti mosquito and is characterized by high fever, rashes, headaches,
and severe muscle and joint pain.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/6237284.html

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