DENGUE FEVER
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 Aides 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.
Symptoms
of Dengue Fever
Symptoms,
which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10
days, may include
- Sudden, high fever
- Severe headaches
- Pain behind
the eyes
- Severe joint
and muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Skin rash, which appears two to five days
after the onset of fever
- Mild bleeding
(such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)
Treatment
for 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.
Preventing Dengue Fever
There is no vaccine to prevent
dengue fever. The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by
infected mosquitoes, particularly if you are living in or traveling to a tropical
area. This involves protecting yourself and making efforts to keep the mosquito
population down.