How do you identify dengue fever?

Answer 1

Dengue fever is a tropical illness transmitted by a specific type of mosquito that is usually active during the day. It is found in urban areas in most countries near the equator, but not in any part of the united states (the mosquito that transmits it is not found in the united states). Those at risk are people who live in a region that dengue is found (see map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dengue06.png) or who have recently traveled to such a region, especially during a dengue outbreak. Because dengue is transmitted only by blood, those who have had contact with dengue victims in the absence of the carrier mosquito are usually not at risk from this contact. Dengue has an incubation period of 10 days to 2 weeks, and early symptoms include fever, headache, and muscle or joint pain. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever) there is also a characteristic rash of bright red spots, but I have not heard this rash described as an indicator by medical professionals in countries where dengue is common. This may be because it is not actually a rash (inflammation), but rather blood spots caused by small hemmorhages. The most obvious indicator of dengue is spontaneous bleeding, which may occur from gums, fingernails... according to some people I have talked to, severe cases appear to sweat blood. This may sound very alarming, but as long as the patient receives adequate medical attention, they will almost certainly be unharmed by the experience (except for the psychological trauma and the medical bill). People who live in or travel to tropical countries should seek medical attention if they exhibit these symptoms; the platelet count will be monitored, and if it drops too low, blood will be given. Most cases will recover normally after about a week; the illness is then gone and no lasting damage will be felt (except the normal symptoms of whatever blood loss the patient experienced). The status of dengue as a dangerous illness in developing countries is mostly due to its cyclic nature - a very large number of cases often occur at once (an outbreak) and the country's limited health facilities are often overwhelmed. In some parts of the world, this happens only once every few years; in others, there is always an outbreak of dengue somewhere.