Dar es Salaam — The dengue viruses (DENVs) which thrive in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that are highly prevalent in Tanzania and other parts of the world are continually spreading and causing dengue fever, yet many cases of the disease may have gone unnoticed in the country as attention was turned to Covid-19 pandemic.

However, what came to his mind at the time was a possible coronavirus infection--not malaria, not dengue fever or any other disease.

Symptoms resurface, tests positive for dengue

"This week, I began feeling the same symptoms of headache, fever, sweat, loss of appetite and general malaise.

The government has been working on the "Tanzania National Contingency Plan for Prevention and Control of Dengue Fever, May-October 2019" and mid last year, health minister Ummy Mwalimu said efforts were ongoing to control vector-borne diseases, including those attributed to mosquitoes.

I believe this is the case for dengue fever as well," says a mosquito biologist and Director of Science at Ifakara Health Institute Dr Fredros Okumu.