Letter from India

We received a letter from our sponsored child in India. She finished her secondary school and is now training to be a nurse. It has been interesting corresponding with her. It's a peek into another part of the world! 

 

 

   It takes 2 months for our letters to get back and forth to each other. We send our letters to the office in Colorado - they translate and then send them on. V. (our sponsored child) can write her letters in English now.  She has very good handwriting too! 

She mentioned Dengue fever in her letter. I surely hope she doesn't get it! Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

 Dengue fever

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dengue fever
Classification and external resources
The typical rash seen in dengue fever

Dengue fever (UK /ˈdɛŋɡeɪ/ or US /ˈdɛŋɡiː/), also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs. Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally A. aegypti. The virus has four different types; infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. Subsequent infection with a different type increases the risk of severe complications. As there is no commercially available vaccine, prevention is sought by reducing the habitat and the number of mosquitoes and limiting exposure to bites. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. The incidence of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with around 50–100 million people infected yearly. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were elucidated in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a global problem since the Second World War and is endemic in more than 110 countries. Apart from eliminating the mosquitoes, work is ongoing on a vaccine, as well as medication targeted directly at the virus.

I will be writing back to her today.