Disease
- Dengue Fever, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Dengue Shock Syndrome
Symptoms
- sudden onset of fever, headache, joint and muscle pain.
- nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and rash may be present.
- fever typically lasts 3 to 7 days; convalescence may be prolonged.
- initial phase of DHF/DSS may be similar to above, but is followed by hemorrhagic phenomena, bleeding from multiple sites and vascular collapse.
Infectious agent
- dengue virus, serotypes 1 to 4 (all 4 types can cause dengue hemorrhagic fever).
Mode of transmission
- bite of an infective Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito.
- not directly transmitted person to person.
Distribution
- epidemic and endemic in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Australia.
- widespread in the Caribbean basin.
Incubation period & communicability
- 3 to 14 days, average 7 to 10 days.
- while disease is not transmitted person to person, patients can be infective for mosquitos from the day before to the end of the febrile period (5 to 7 days).
Treament
Thanks to the World Health Organisation
for much of this information.
|
bravenet.com
