Symptoms and Treatment | Dengue Fever

Dengue (pronounced DENgee) fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease characterized by dengue virus closely related to any one. These viruses are related to viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.

Dengue Fever

An estimated 400 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with approximately 96 million resulting from the disease. Most cases occur in tropical regions of the world, with the greatest risk being:

• Indian subcontinent
• Southeast Asia
• South china
• Taiwan
• Pacific Islands
• Caribbean (except Cuba and Cayman Islands)
• Mexico
• Africa
• Central and South America

Most cases in the United States occur in people who contracted infection while traveling abroad. 2014, dengue fever outbreaks in Hawaii were identified in 2013, along with other outbreaks in Brownsville, Texas and Key West, Fla.

Dengue fever is spread by a dengue virus-infected Aedes mosquito bite. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in its blood. .

Symptoms of Dengue fever

Symptoms, which usually begin 4 to 6 days after infection and last up to 10 days, may include

• Sudden high fever
• severe headache
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe joint and muscle pain
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Skin redness, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
• Mild bleeding (such as bleeding from the nose, bleeding from the gums, or easy sores)

Sometimes, the symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for flu or other viral infections. Younger children and those who have never had an infection before have more milk cases than older children and adults. However, serious problems can develop.  Symptoms can lead to massive bleeding, trauma, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

People with a weakened immune system, as well as people with second or subsequent dengue infection, are considered at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Diagnosis of dengue fever

Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test to check for viruses or antibodies.

What is the best treatment for dengue fever?

If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use a pain reliever with acetaminophen and avoid medications with aspirin, which can make the bleeding worse. You should rest, drink lots of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start feeling bad in the first 24 hours after the fever subsides, you should immediately go to the hospital to check for complications.

Prevent dengue fever

The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by infected mosquitoes, especially if you are living or traveling in a tropical region. This includes protecting themselves and making efforts to keep mosquito populations down.
For your protection:

To protect yourself:

• Use mosquito repellent indoors as well.
• When out, wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants that rest in stockings.
• When indoors, use air conditioning if available.
• Make sure the window and door screens are safe and free of holes. If sleeping areas are not screened or air conditioned, use a mosquito net.
• If you have symptoms of dengue, talk to your doctor.
• To reduce the mosquito population, get rid of the places where mosquitoes can breed.

Mosquitoes that bite an infected family member can spread the infection to your home.