When should I suspect Dengue?

Dengue should be suspected when you have sudden onset of fever. The fever is high 103-105 degrees F or 39-40 degrees C. It is accompanied with 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 3^rd or 4^th 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.

There are several types of fever, when should dengue be suspected?

The characteristics of dengue that make it different from other causes of fever are the pain behind the eyes, severe pains in the muscles, severe joint pains, and skin rashes. These features make the diagnosis of suspected Dengue likely. The severe joint pains caused by DF is the reason why DF is also called break-bone fever.

What is the difference between suspected and probable case of dengue?

If a patient suspected to be having dengue has reduced platelets or an increase in blood haematocrit, then the patient has probable dengue. These additional findings makesdengue more likely. Patients with dengue may not have a high haematocrit if the person was anaemic to start with.

(Platelets are cells in blood that help to stop bleeding. Haematocrit indicates the thickness of blood).

Can you get dengue again after suffering from it once?

It is possible to get dengue more than once. Dengue can occur because of 4 different but related strains of dengue virus. If a person has suffered from one virus, there can be a repeat occurrence of dengue if a different strain is involved subsequently. Being affected by one strain offers no protection against the others. A person could suffer from dengue more than once in her/his lifetime.

Can the diagnosis of dengue be confirmed?

There are laboratory tests that provide direct or indirect evidence for dengue fever. These tests provide evidence for the occurrence of dengue infection. There are some additional tests that can help to identify the type of dengue infection. The tests for confirmation of Dengue should be done in reliable laboratories.

How can someone get dengue fever?

Dengue fever occurs following the bite of an infected mosquito Aedes aegypti.This type of mosquito has a peculiar white spotted body and legs and is easy to recognize even by laymen. It breeds in clean water (see Question 20) and has a flight range of only 100 – 200 metres.The mosquito gets the Dengue virus after biting a human being infected with dengue virus.

Can I get dengue fever from another person?

Dengue does not spread directly from person to person. It is only spread through the bite of an infected mosquito.