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Tegucigalpa, Apr 18 (Prensa Latina) Honduras has the highest number of dengue cases in Central America, official sources reported Friday.

According to health authorities, 180 cases were already reported with dengue hemorrhagic fever until last week, most serious dengue variant, which can cause death.

In order to confront this situation the government has carried out an intense campaign of fumigation and a plan of actions in order to eradicate Aedes aegypti mosquito, transmitter of the disease.

In 2006, six Hondurans died victim of hemorrhagic dengue and 7,800 cases with common dengue fever, whereas in 2007 there were 29,000 cases with dengue and 1,692 with hemorrhagic dengue, 15 of them died.

Dengue is an infectious disease caused by a virus spread by mosquitoes. It is common in warm, wet areas of the world. Symptoms include high fever, headaches, joint and muscle pain, vomiting and rash. Most people with dengue recover within 2 weeks.

Until then, drinking lots of fluids, resting and taking non-aspirin fever-reducing medicines might help. Sometimes dengue turns into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which causes bleeding from your nose, gums or under your skin. It can also become dengue shock syndrome, which causes massive bleeding and shock. These forms of dengue are life-threatening.