The toll for the first three months of this year exceeds the total from all of 2007, state officials said adding that another 60 deaths were being investigated to see whether they resulted from the tropical disease. The disease is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Dengue causes fever, muscle pain and sometimes rashes and diarrhea and usually lasts about a week. In extreme cases, it can cause hemorrhage and death.
Treatment usually consists of making the patient comfortable until the fever passes. The patient should be given plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. However Asprin should be avoided because of the risk of bleeding associated with the disease.
National Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao on Monday said it put in 119 extra beds to cope with the outbreak and hired 660 more medical personnel to tackle the rise in number of patients.
Nearly 1,200 soldiers from the army, air force and navy would be deployed next week to set up three field hospitals. Also, an additional 500 would spray insecticide and place poison in standing puddles of water where the mosquitoes breed.
