Chile confirms this year's 4th dengue case

SANTIAGO, Feb. 26 (Chinese media) -- Officials from the Chilean Health Ministry

confirmed on Thursday a dengue case in the country, the forth one reported this

year.

The latest dengue case was found in the city of Arica, near the northern

border of the country, after a Chilean man traveled back from Bolivia and was

found infected with the disease. He has already been put under medical

observation, the authorities said.

According to the Health Ministry, the new case does not pose a threat to

public health, because dengue is transmitted through a certain kind of mosquito,

which has not been found in Chile.

Epidemiologist Juan Jorge Silva said dengue is hard to diagnose in Chile

due to its rareness here, and this is also the reason that there are no vaccines

in local health facilities.

If it leads to hemorrhage in the central nervous system, however, dengue

can be lethal, Silva said.

Now some Latin American countries have reported dengue epidemics, and the

hardest hit was Bolivia, with more than 25,000 infected and 12 deaths.