Cases of dengue fever have risen in recent times and therefore, we thought to share information about dengue as many people would want to know the causes, symptoms, and treatment for the viral disease.
You can get dengue fever from the bite of a mosquito that carries one of four types of dengue virus (DENV). The virus is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions like Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
Dengue isn’t contagious from person to person but it can be passed from a pregnant person to their unborn child. The severity of symptoms depends on the virus that the mosquito has transferred.
Research proves that nearly 400 million people get infected with dengue each year but most cases show no or fewer symptoms, making the diagnosis difficult.
Dengue Fever: Signs and Symptoms
According to the doctors of Mayo Clinic, here is a list of mild and severe symptoms of dengue that can affect a person.
Mild symptoms of dengue (fever, aches, pains, or a rash) might make it difficult to make a clear diagnosis and can be confused with other illnesses.
The most common symptoms of dengue include:
Nausea
Rash
Aches and pains (pain behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain)
Belly pain, tenderness
Vomiting (at least 3 times in 24 hours)
Bleeding nose or gums
Vomiting blood or blood in the stool
Restlessness
A person suffering from dengue fever may experience the symptoms for 2-7 days and after a week, the person starts to recover.
Dengue Fever: Causes and Risk Factors
There are four types of viruses that can cause dengue but only one of the four viruses is enough to make a person sick. Dengue is not contagious and thus, cannot spread from person to person but can definitely spread through mosquito bites.
The two types of mosquitoes responsible for causing dengue fever are quite common around human lodgings. When a mosquito bites a person suffering from dengue, the virus enters the mosquito's blood and when the same mosquito bites a healthy person, the virus enters their bloodstream, causing an infection and dengue fever.
After recovery from dengue fever, a person becomes immune to the type of virus that infected him (not to the other three dengue virus types). This means any of the other three dengue viruses can infect you in the future.
According to the doctors of Cleveland Clinic, there are a few risk factors that increase the chances of dengue fever in a person.
Living or visiting tropical and subtropical areas increases your risk of exposure to the dengue virus. High-risk areas include southeast Asia, the western Pacific islands, Latin America, and Africa.
If you have had dengue fever in the past, your risk of facing severe dengue symptoms the next time increases.
Dengue Fever: Diagnosis
Diagnosing dengue fever can be difficult because its signs and symptoms can be easily confused with those of other diseases, such as chikungunya, Zika virus, malaria, and typhoid fever.
Your doctor will likely ask about your medical and travel history. Be sure to describe international trips in detail, including the countries you visited and the dates as well as any contact you may have had with mosquitoes.
Dengue Fever: Treatment and Management
According to PubMed Central, there is no specific medicine for dengue fever. Your healthcare provider can help prevent or manage the symptoms of dengue fever. Here are a few tips to help manage the symptoms:
Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids and water
Get ample rest
Pain-related issues can be managed with acetaminophen (like Tylenol) only
Do not take ibuprofen or aspirin since it can increase the risk of life-threatening internal bleeding
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)