The health ministry has confirmed the first domestic dengue fever case in Japan in nearly 70 years. A Saitama Prefecture teen girl was found Wednesday to have contracted the virus through a mosquito in Japan, followed by news that two more people — a man and a woman in Tokyo — have also been infected.
More than 200 dengue cases are reported in Japan each year, but those are of patients who contracted dengue virus abroad. The World Health Organization estimates the number of infections across the globe to be 50 million to 100 million per year.
While the news has led to widespread fears that a pandemic outbreak might have arrived, experts are quick to deny such a scenario, while offering some advice on what measures people can take to minimize their exposure. Following are some basic questions and answers regarding the infectious disease and measures that can be taken to prevent infection.
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