Cause of Dengue Fever:
When a person is bitten by an infected aedes aegypti mosquito, they can contract Dengue Fever. Around half of the world’s population is at high risk of contracting dengue and half a billion people get it every year. It can affect anyone. It is rare in the US and there are only 20,000 cases a year! In more tropical climates, there are hundreds of thousands of cases, some of which result in death.
Symptoms:
Most people who contract the disease are asymptomatic, meaning that they show no symptoms. The most common symptoms are headaches, high fever, aching body, nausea, and rashes. While the disease usually clears up within a couple of weeks, some people develop severe dengue and need hospital treatment. When a person gets severe dengue, their symptoms worsen and they can have shortness of breath, severe bleeding, and even organ damage. If a person continues to get no treatment, or if the treatment fails, this disease can be fatal.
Facts about Dengue Fever:
When a person contracts dengue, they can not donate blood for 6 months without any recurrence of symptoms. The reason for this is that the person still has the toxin in their blood, so for the safety of the person and others, it is strongly recommended to not donate blood.
Dengue Fever is one of the most important mosquito-borne infections affecting millions worldwide. It is also monitored by the European Union.
Treatment for Dengue:
Currently, there is no treatment for dengue, but it is instead treated with pain medication. There are some ways to prevent catching it. Use insect repellent and wear loose, long sleeved shirts and pants. Another way to prevent it is having fly screens so mosquitoes can’t enter your house. Take precaution!
Related Stories:
https://medlineplus.gov/dengue.html
https://paho.org/en/topics/dengue
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue
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