Health Ministry debunks fake dengue fever outbreak in Ukraine

The press service of the Ministry of Health reported this.

"VoxCheck fact-checkers investigated a fake news story spread by the enemy on Telegram channels. They found that the words of a Ukrainian infectious disease doctor, who described dengue fever symptoms on her personal blog, were distorted," the Ministry stated.

The primary threat for dengue fever spread in Europe comes from aedes albopictus mosquitoes, also known as "tiger mosquitoes." The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that this disease, once common in Africa and Asia, is now spreading to other regions.

As of June 2024, the WHO reported over 10 million cases worldwide since the start of the year, but Ukraine is not among the affected countries.

Dengue fever is an acute infectious disease with an incubation period of 3-15 days. It usually starts suddenly with chills, headaches, severe back pain, and joint pain, especially in the knees. Fever is a common symptom, with body temperatures rapidly rising to 39–40°C.