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Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus and is spread by the female Aedes mosquito. Dengue fever can infect a person more than once. It is a dangerous fever as the after-effects of the fever last for many days. Stagnant water and dirty stored water are the main reasons for the growth and transmission of dengue mosquitoes.
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Keyterms: Dengue, Fever, Virus, Aedes mosquito, DENV, RNA, DNA, Serotypes, Human blood serum, Antibody
Causes of Dengue fever
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Dengue fever is a result of getting infected by the dengue virus abbreviated as DENV. It is a positive single-stranded (RNA) virus. DENV has four serotypes such as
- DENV 1
- DENV 2
- DENV 3
- DENV 4
These serotypes interact with the antibodies in the human blood serum. Dengue fever is transmitted from person to person by the Aedes mosquito. These mosquitoes grow in dirty stagnant water.
Transmission of Dengue Virus
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Dengue virus is transmitted through the bites of infected female Aedes mosquitoes. These mosquitoes typically lay eggs in open stored and stagnant waters. When these mosquitoes grow and mature, they bite an infected person from whom they get the disease and act as a carrier vector by spreading it to other persons through their bite.
Aedes Aegepti, the Yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that spreads diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Mayaro, and Zika fever. This mosquito has originated from Africa and is now found in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate region throughout the world. Infected Aedes mosquito lays eggs in the stored water and transmits the disease to humans by biting them.
An infected pregnant woman can transmit the disease to her baby quickly. Even an infected woman when breastfeeding can spread the disease to her baby. Dengue can also spread through organ transplant, blood transfusion, and a needle stick injury.
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Symptoms of Dengue fever
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Symptoms of Dengue fever differ from person to person. Some common symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- High Fever
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Skin rash
- Low blood pressure
- Muscle and joint pains
- Abdominal discomfort
- Mild bleeding from gums and nose
Symptoms of Dengue fever
Testing of Dengue Virus
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Many health departments and commercial test centres perform Dengue diagnostic testing. The Dengue tests are-
- Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAC)
- Serologic Test
- Cross-reactive flaviviruses
- IgG antibody testing
Treatment of Dengue fever
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Although there is no specific medicine to treat Dengue fever, proper care has to be taken in terms of staying hydrated, lowering the fever and increasing the WBC of the blood. Some of the recommended treatment methods are as follows:
- Proper rest is very necessary for the patient.
- If severe, the patient needs to be hospitalized and kept at least for 24 hours surveillance.
- Tylenol and Paracetamol are usually prescribed by doctors to lower the fever caused by Dengue. Analgesic medicines are also really effective.
- Papaya leaf extract is also very effective in curing Dengue fever.
- Continuous intake of fluids is essential as there is a great loss of water from the body due to vomiting and high fever.
- Proper hygiene is essential. A sponge bath can be taken. Few drops of the antiseptic solution must be added to the water before the bath. Sanitiser should also be used at regular intervals.
Precautions to avoid Dengue fever
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Dengue preventive measures must be followed in every household. Few measures are-
- Surroundings must be kept clean at all cost
- Stored water must be covered and kept.
- Using mosquito repellants and avoid being bitten by mosquitoes
- Spraying insecticides around the houses and colonies to keep the mosquitoes away.
- Ensuring that flower pots and vases must have fresh water in them.
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High-Risk areas of Dengue fever
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The most common areas to be affected with dengue fever are Tropical and Subtropical areas. Some of the regions with maximum dengue cases are:
- Central and South America
- The Caribbean
- Tropical Asia, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, and parts of China
- Northern Australia
High-Risk areas of Dengue fever
Things to Remember
- Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus and is spread by the Aedes mosquito
- Aedes mosquito lays eggs in stagnant water and dirty swampy areas.
- Dengue fever weakens the patient. High fever, extreme fatigue, headache, and body and muscle pains are the common symptoms of the fever.
- Dengue fever can be treated at home with few medications. Lots of fluid intake and proper and healthy diets are essential for curing the fever.
- To avoid being infected with Dengue, we must keep our surroundings clean and we must maintain hygiene strictly.
Read More: Mutagens
Sample Questions
Ques. What is the definition of Dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is common in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Dengue leads to terrible weakness in the patient’s body.
Ques. Who is the vector of Dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans. Dengue fever is transmitted by the Aedes Aegyptus. The dengue mosquito lays eggs in dirty water which are usually stored in containers, vases, and pots.
Ques. What are the common symptoms of Dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans. The common symptoms of Dengue symptoms are high fever, vomiting, excessive headache and muscle pains, and fatigue.
Ques. How to prevent contracting the Dengue virus? (2 marks)
Ans. Surroundings must be kept clean. Proper hygiene must be maintained and strictly followed. If these measures are followed, preventing the Dengue virus will be easy.
Ques. Name the tests conducted to detect dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans. 2 main Dengue tests are conducted by various healthcare test centres. The tests are-
- Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAC)
- Serologic Test
Ques. What are the symptoms and signs of Dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans.
- High Fever
- Headache and pain behind the eye
- Nausea and vomiting
- Muscle and joint aches
- Rash- different types of rash (usually diffuse, red patches), may be itchy and appears a few days after the onset of fever.
- Bleeding tendency – from nose , gums and bruises
- Facial Flushing
Ques. How are the chances being reduced of getting infected by Dengue fever? (2 marks)
Ans.
- Change water in vases/bowls (including pet water containers) on alternate days
- Remove water from flowerpot plates on alternate days
- Dispose properly of all possible containers where water can collect
- Clean gullies and drainages regularly
- Maintain the garden properly to prevent mosquitos from accessing egg-laying habitats
- Using of personal household protection such as window screens, long-sleeved clothes, insecticide-treated materials, coils and vaporizers
- Improve community participation and mobilization for sustained mosquito control
Ques. Who is at risk for dengue? (2 marks)
Ans. Anyone who is bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito can get dengue fever. Risk factors for dengue haemorrhagic fever include a person’s age and immune status, as well as the type of infecting virus. Persons who were previously infected with one or more types of dengue virus are thought to be at greater risk for developing dengue haemorrhagic fever if infected again.
Ques. When should Dengue be suspected? (2 marks)
Ans. Dengue should be suspected when a person has a sudden onset of fever. The fever is usually high 103-105 degrees F or 39-40 degrees C. It is accompanied by severe headache (mostly in the forehead), pain behind the eyes, body aches and pains, rash on the skin and nausea or vomiting. The fever lasts for 5-7 days. In some patients, fever comes down on the 3rd or 4th day but comes back. All the above symptoms and signs may not be present in the patient. The patient feels much discomfort after the illness
Ques. What is the treatment of Dengue? Is it curable? (2 marks)
Ans. Like most viral diseases there is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Antibiotics do not help. Paracetamol is the drug of choice to bring down fever and joint pain. Other medicines such as Aspirin and ibuprofen (Brufen) should be avoided since they can increase the risk of bleeding. Doctors should be very careful when prescribing medicines. Any medicine that decreases platelets should be avoided.
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