Yesterday, the Public Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila announced that she will deny Limon a permit to host its annual October Carnival festivities due to the recent increase in dengue.  The amount of garbage and crowds that are anticipated at such an event would be a festival of its own for the mosquitoes that carry dengue. 

This year has already seen large numbers of reported dengue cases with the number rapidly creeping over 2000 in the Limon providence alone. The festivities are a huge concern because there would be plenty of fresh blood and tons of garbage for the mosquitoes to feed on and hide in. 

The mosquitoes that carry this disease are known to breed and linger in areas with shade and still water.  Old tires are a palace to these bugs.  The bugs feed during the day especially at daybreak and right before sunset.  They are heavily concentrated in shady areas and thrive when it is overcast.  They are very prevalent near the beaches and the rain forests, but are also known to be in San Jose. 

The government has taken several steps to help decrease this problem, one of them being the cancellation of this very popular festival.  They have also started to go to the cities and educate the public about how to prevent and avoid these bugs.  

The decision to close down the festival is not a popular one by any means but it is for the safety and well being of the people. 

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on August 28th, 2007