Ibiza has issued an alert to UK tourists after outbreaks of dengue fever after six people were struck down with the bug. The local government said six German tourists were infected between May and November last year, with fears a second wave could be on the horizon.
Spain's government has said there is a "moderate" risk of people getting the fever during the summer, reports Birmingham Live. Dengue fever is an infection spread by mosquitoes and can be deadly to vulnerable adults.
Symptoms usually start 4 to 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, according to the NHS. Symptoms include a high temperature, severe headache, blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots and swollen glands.
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Some people get a more severe type of dengue a few days after they first started feeling ill which can include repeatedly being sick and bleeding gums or nose. One confirmed case among the German tourists in Ibiza was a 27-year-old woman who was in Ibiza last August with her partner and their 14-month-old daughter.
All three had symptoms on August 31, but tests were only performed on the woman who was then diagnosed with dengue. Another case involves a 37-year-old woman who - with her partner and 12-year-old son - also showed symptoms of the bug on the last day of her October stay.
Spanish health officials believe the bug could have been spread by a holidaymaker from Mexico who only displayed symptoms after arriving on the island. Spain's Ministry of Health said in a statement: "One of the potential vectors of dengue is the Aedes albopictus mosquito, present throughout the area, the Spanish Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands and also in some areas of the interior and north of the country.
"After learning about the cases, the authorities of the Balearic Islands have planned actions such as pertinent surveillance and vector control and also communication and information to the public, to be carried out before and during the start of the vector activity season."
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