Dengue Fever

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Dengue fever is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by mosquitos. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and rash. Dengue is endemic throughout the tropics and subtropics. Outbreaks have, for example, occurred in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Cuba.It comes form a virus carried by the striped Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags and cans year round. One mosquito bite can inflict the disease. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 15 (usually 5 to 8) days before the signs and symptoms of dengue appear. Dengue starts with chills, headache, pain upon moving the eyes, and low backache. Painful aching in the legs and joints occurs during the first hours of illness. The temperature rises quickly as high as 104° F (40° C), with relative low heart rate (bradycardia) and low blood pressure (hypotension). The eyes become reddened. A flushing or pale pink rash comes over the face and then disappears. The glands (lymph nodes) in the neck and groin are often swollen. Fever and other signs of dengue last for 2 to 4 days, followed by rapid drop in temperature (defervescence) with profuse sweating. This heralds a period with normal temperature and a sense of well-being that lasts about a day. A second rapid rise in temperature follows. A characteristic rash appears simultaneously with the fever and spreading from the extremities to cover the entire body except the face. The palms and soles may be bright red and swollen.Typical dengue does not result in death. Convalescence is accompanied by a feeling of weakness (asthenia) and takes several weeks. The transmission of the virus to mosquitoes must be interrupted to prevent the illness. To this end, patients are kept under mosquito netting until the second bout of fever is over and they are no longer contagious. The prevention of dengue requires control or eradication of the mosquitoes carrying the virus that causes dengue. In nations plagued by dengue fever, people are urged to empty stagnant water from old tires, trash cans and flower pots.