Australians holidaying in Asia are being urged to cover up and protect themselves against mosquitoes, with 19 reported cases of dengue fever in the NT so far this year.
All cases involved travellers who had been in Southeast Asia, the majority coming from Bali, the NT Centre for Disease Control said on Thursday.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito which carries the virus is not found in the NT, but is common across most of Southeast Asia, as well as in Queensland.
"The only prevention against dengue fever is avoiding mosquito bites, the mosquitoes which carry the dengue virus bite throughout the day and enter houses," said Dr Vicki Krause, CDC NT Director.
Dengue fever is rarely fatal, but repeated infections increase the chance of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever, a severe disease with a higher fatality rate.
Symptoms of dengue fever include rapid-onset fever lasting three to seven days, a severe frontal headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash and/or minor bleeding such as from the nose and gums.
HOW TO AVOID MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUSES:
* Wear loose light-coloured clothing with long sleeves, trousers and socks
* Use repellents containing di-ethyl-toluamide (DEET) or picaridin on exposed skin
* Ensure flyscreens are intact
* Avoid areas of dense vegetation or where there is pooled water
* Use mosquito coils or mosquito lanterns/gas-operated insecticide vapour devices in outdoor sheltered areas, and electric insecticide vapour mats in enclosed areas
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