A MUM-OF-ONE and body modification influencer has died after contracting a virus on holiday.
Aline Barone Barbosa, 37, suffered heart complications caused by contracting dengue fever.
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The health authorities are carrying out an investigation to confirm whether she became infected in her hometown or during a recent trip.
The influencer left behind a 22-year-old daughter.
Aline frequently shared content related to tattoos, piercings, and her travels on Instagram.
She lived in Siqueira Campos, located west of São Paulo, Brazil.
According to the municipal health authorities, she recently travelled alone to Curitiba, about 200 miles south of her hometown.
After returning home, she then began to suffer from strong flu-like symptoms on January 22.
She was taken to a medical centre in Siqueira Campos three days later.
Aline was then transported to a hospital in the city of Jacarezinho where she passed away on Friday – 12 hours after being admitted.
The authorities are currently investigating whether the case is autochthonous, meaning if it originated in the town where she lived or was imported from Curitiba.
Aline was buried in Siqueira Campos on January 27.
She was also well-known in her hometown for her animal rights activism.
How to protect against dengue fever
THE best way to protect yourself from dengue when you’re in a country where it is found is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. You should:
- Wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, particularly during early morning and early evening
- Use insect repellent on your skin (ideally one that contains the ingredient DEET)
- Close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens
- Sleep under a mosquito net treated with insecticide, including during the day
If you do get bitten, the symptoms will usually start between four and 10 days after getting stung by an infected pest.
The symptoms are similar to the flu and include:
- a high temperature
- a severe headache
- pain behind your eyes
- muscle and joint pain
- feeling or being sick
- swollen glands
- a blotchy rash made up of flat or slightly raised spots – this can affect large areas of your body
According to local reports, the number of dengue cases has been sharply rising in Paraná State in recent weeks.
The State Department of Health said 3,911 new cases were confirmed in the last week.
At least three deaths have been confirmed, but another 14 fatalities in January are still under investigation.
The 18th century virus has been on the rise recently with fears growing after an unexpected surge in cases.
Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti insect, also called the yellow fever mosquito.
The infection is more common in tropical parts of the world, including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Pacific islands and some southern areas of North America.
There was a 10-fold surge in reported cases globally between 2000 and 2019, increasing from 500,000 to a record-breaking 5.2million.
Around 5,000 related deaths are now recorded each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with more than five million cases in 2023.
