What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue fever is a disease from a family of viruses spread by mosquitoes. It is usually followed by acute illness along with symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, appearance of rashes on a person’s arms, high temperature, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands, and rash. Dengue is caused by one of four serotypes of a virus. But the affected person develops immunity for that serotype for a lifetime. It makes sleep difficult, making one delirious. There is also blood in the stool and complete loss of appetite. It is also known by its other name, “breakbone” or “dandy fever”. Dengue hemorrhagic is a more severe form of the illness, symptoms of this fever are headache, fever, rash, and hemorrhage in the body. Small red or purple blisters under the skin called Petechiae, nose or gum bleeding, black stool and easy bruising of the body are possible signs of this hemorrhage.

Where is it a Risk? (Meaning what situations promote dengue fever)

Dengue is known to be a tropical disease affecting countries such as the Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, South East Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) and the Middle East. People with low immunity are known to be at risk with dengue. People travelling to these countries are high risk candidates for contracting this disease due to their lack of exposure to such environments. Dengue is known to easily affect people from colder climates, who have less immunity to tropical weather. As dengue is caused by mosquito bites, people living in areas without proper water, garbage or urinal hygiene are at risk of this disease. The mosquito is notorious in the rainy season, laying its eggs in flowering pots; plastic bags filled with water and buckets or cans with water. Water is the chief source of laying eggs for these mosquitoes known as Aedes Aegyti. The mosquito is the carrier of the disease from one person to another by its bite and the virus is transmitted to them.

What are its Symptoms?

After the mosquito has bitten the person, there is an incubation period from 3 to 15 days. Symptoms range form headache, nausea, chills, pain in eye movements, and low backache. Pain in the legs and joints, rise in body temperature, low blood pressure, and low heart rate.

What are Ways to Avoid Getting it?

Avoiding water infested areas prone to mosquitoes, eradication of water filled pots, buckets or cans. Using mosquito netting at home, applying mosquito repellant cream on the body and spraying mosquito killer sprays helps eradicate the threat of this disease.