Dengue fever victim warns Bali tourists

After dozens of trips to Bali, Dalyellup woman Elaine Garavanta never thought she would contract the deadly dengue fever during her latest holiday.

The day after Mrs Garavanta returned home from the holiday she’d taken with her husband Brian and 38 others, she was hit with a wave of aches and pains.

“It felt like I’d been hit with a truck,” she said.

The mosquito-borne viral infection has kept Mrs Garavanta house-ridden for the past three weeks while she recovers.

She urged people to be vigilant of mosquitoes when travelling in Indonesia.

“I got home on the Tuesday and on the Wednesday morning I was sick and in the middle of the night I woke up with a fever,” she said.

“I went to the doctor and I had a temperature of 39 degrees, I felt my head was going to explode.”

WA had a record 531 cases of dengue fever last year — more than any other State — and three-quarters of them were contracted in Bali.

Symptoms include high temperature and feeling generally unwell, but serious complications include dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.

There is no specific medical treatment or vaccine.

Mrs Garavanta said she initially thought she had a bacterial infection from the plane and was given antibiotics.

But when she developed a rash all over her body and had a metallic taste in her mouth, she went back to the doctor.

"We have been going to Bali for 20 years but I think people forget it’s a third world country,” she said.

“We were not first timers — and we were really careful.”

The Department of Health recommends travellers use mosquito nets, insect spray, wear long and loose-fitting clothing and use DEET or picaridin gels or lotions.

“You may want to check with your accommodation provider what mosquito management measures are in place to minimise the risk of exposure to dengue during your stay,” the department said.

The Australian Medical Association WA has urged the Federal Government to help lift health and hygiene standards in Bali.

In Australia, the dengue mosquito is found only in Queensland.