Dengue (break-bone fever) is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates . Dengue fever is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses. These viruses are related to the viruses that cause West Nile infection and yellow fever.
Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected when it bites a person with dengue virus in their blood. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.
Most people who get dengue won’t have symptoms. But for those that do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash. Most will also get better in 1–2 weeks. Some people develop severe dengue and need care in a hospital.
In severe cases, dengue can be fatal.
Symptoms :
Most people with dengue have mild or no symptoms and will get better in 1–2 weeks. Rarely, dengue can be severe and lead to death.
If symptoms occur, they usually begin 4–10 days after infection and last for 2–7 days. Symptoms may include:
- high fever (40°C/104°F)
- severe headache
- pain behind the eyes
- muscle and joint pains
- nausea
- vomiting
- swollen glands
- rash
Individuals who are infected for the second time are at greater risk of severe dengue.
Severe dengue symptoms often come after the fever has gone away:
- severe abdominal pain
- persistent vomiting
- rapid breathing
- bleeding gums or nose
- fatigue
- restlessness
- blood in vomit or stool
- being very thirsty
- pale and cold skin
- feeling weak.
People with these severe symptoms should get care right away.
After recovery, people who have had dengue may feel tired for several weeks.
Diagnosis :
Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it. If you become sick after traveling to a tropical area, let your doctor know. This will allow your doctor to evaluate the possibility that your symptoms were caused by a dengue infection. You can book your blood test online from our website by clicking on the given Linkhttps://mlsdiagnostics.com/shop?type=tests
Treatment and Prevention of Dengue fever :
There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications.
The mosquitoes that spread dengue are active during the day.
Lower the risk of getting dengue by protecting yourself from mosquito bites by using:
- clothes that cover as much of your body as possible
- mosquito nets if sleeping during the day, ideally nets sprayed with insect repellent
- window screens
- mosquito repellents (containing DEET, Picaridin or IR3535)
- coils and vaporizers.
If you get dengue, it’s important to:
- rest
- drink plenty of liquids
- use acetaminophen (paracetamol) for pain
- avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and aspirin
- watch for severe symptoms and contact your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any.
So far one vaccine (Dengvaxia) has been approved and licensed in some countries. However, only persons with evidence of past dengue infection can be protected by this vaccine. Several additional dengue vaccine candidates are under evaluation.