Dengue fever is most common in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific islands.
- Symptoms
Many people, especially teens and children may not experience any symptoms and signs during a mild case of dengue. Symptoms begin to occur four to seven days after one gets bitten by an infected mosquito.
Symptoms of mild dengue fever include at least two of the below:
– Constant headache
– Nausea and vomiting
– Muscle pain and joint pain
– Pain behind the eyes
– Swollen glands
– Rashes
– Fever above 104 F degrees
Most people who get infected with dengue fever recover within a week. In some rare cases, symptoms worsen and make the situation life-threatening. Blood vessels become damaged and leaky leading to bleeding through nose, stool and urine. The severe form of dengue is called haemorrhagic fever, severe dengue and dengue shock syndrome.
Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome are:
– Severe pain in the abdomen
– Bleeding from nose and gums
– Blood in stool, urine and vomit
– Persistent vomiting
– Difficulty in breathing
– Cold and clammy skin
– Bleeding under the skin which might look like bruising
– Fatigue and dizziness
– Restlessness
– Irritability
- Dengue causes
Dengue fever is caused by the bite of female Aedes mosquito. There are four types of dengue virus. When a mosquito bites a person infected with dengue, the virus enters the mosquito. This mosquito infects the other person when it bites them. Once you have recovered from dengue fever, you develop immunity against that particular virus that caused it.
If you get infected by dengue more than twice, your chances of developing dengue haemorrhagic fever increases.
Dengue fever is known by two other names – dandy fever and backbone fever. A lot of research has been done and is in process to develop a vaccine for dengue fever.
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