How is dengue contracted?
It comes from a virus (the dengue virus) carried by the striped Aedes aegypti mosquito. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags and cans year round. One mosquito bite can inflict the disease. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 15 (usually 5 to 8) days before the signs and symptoms of dengue appear.
Dengue fever is a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by mosquitos. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and rash. The presence (the "dengue triad") of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic of dengue.
Dengue (pronounced DENG-gay) is now reaching the peak of a roughly five-year cycle. It strikes people with low levels of immunity. An attack of dengue produces immunity for a year or more. Once this outbreak ebbs, more people will be resistant to the viral disease and the cycle will begin again.
Dengue goes by other names including breakbone or dandy fever. Victims of dengue often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain. Hence, the name "breakbone fever." Slaves in the West Indies who contracted dengue were said to have "dandy fever" because of their postures and gait.
2006-10-16 04:27:59
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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Dengue fever (IPA: ['deŋgeɪ]) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. Caused by one of four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae, each serotype is sufficiently different that there is no cross-protection and epidemics caused by multiple serotypes (hyperendemicity) can occur. Dengue is transmitted to humans by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (rarely Aedes albopictus).
This infectious disease is manifested by a sudden onset of fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains (myalgias and arthralgias — severe pain gives it the name break-bone fever or bonecrusher disease) and rashes; the dengue rash is characteristically bright red petechia and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest - in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. There may also be gastritis with some combination of associated abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Some cases develop much milder symptoms, which can, when no rash is present, be misdiagnosed as a flu or other viral infection. Thus, travelers from tropical areas may inadvertently pass on dengue in their home countries, having not being properly diagnosed at the height of their illness. Patients with dengue can only pass on the infection through mosquitoes or blood products while they are still febrile.
The classic dengue fever lasts about six to seven days, with a smaller peak of fever at the trailing end of the fever (the so-called "biphasic pattern"). Clinically, the platelet count will drop until the patient's temperature is normal.
Cases of DHF also shows higher fever, haemorrhagic phenomena, thrombocytopenia and haemoconcentration. A small proportion of cases leads to dengue shock syndrome (DSS) which has a high mortality rate.
see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_disease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_dengue_outbreak_in_Singapore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Dengue_outbreak_in_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikungunya
2006-10-14 22:57:16
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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SYMPTOMS OF DENGUE FEVER
Abrupt onset of high fever
Severe frontal headache
Pain behind the eyes(retero-orbital pain) which worsens with eye movement
Muscle and joint pains
Loss of sense of taste and appetite
Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs
Nausea and vomiting
2006-10-14 23:19:38
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are viral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, usually Ae. aegypti. The four dengue viruses (DEN-1 through DEN-4) are immunologically related, but do not provide cross-protective immunity against each other.
2006-10-14 22:57:08
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answer #4
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answered by Star 5
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symptoms for dengue fever are that patient feels very cold in his body and he says that he don't want to eat food which make patient more ill so try to keep on giving patient a good nutrition
2006-10-14 23:04:50
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answer #5
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answered by sandeep 1
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severe fever, which seldom leads to death...
counsulting a doctor will be the best..
Only good clinical care can reduce dengue to 1%..
2006-10-14 23:04:21
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answer #6
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answered by paranoid1288 2
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i had dengue while i was in sri lanka. normally you first start off by throwing up and really high fever. sometimes if it gets real bad you get red patches in the skin. if you get treated early nothing to worry about. you'll have to stay around 1 week in hospital
2006-10-14 22:58:39
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answer #7
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answered by ohlala 3
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sudden onset of fever, periorbital pain, muscle & joint pain, vomiting, enlargement of the liver, abdominal pain, headache..
dengue virus affects our blood in the body, lowers our platelet counts (responsible for blood clotting),& red blood cell concentration
cover you jars, they live on stagnant water, keep area dry to reduce breeding sites for mosquito, apply moquito repellant (w/ DEET), protective clothings like long sleeves, long pants,
aedes agypti mosquito (carrier of dengue virus) only bites during morning & afternoon, they are a low flying mosquito that can be found everywhere
2006-10-15 00:19:03
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answer #8
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answered by gillette 3
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Headache and High fever.
The cure for it is that take some leaves of the papaya leaves and drink the juice extracted from it.
2006-10-14 23:30:17
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answer #9
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answered by Haresh Bhagia 2
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Yes thats right. Others have already answered. Protect yourself from this disease. Remove accumulated water from old pots, tyres etc. The mosquitoes breed in fresh water. Even water from a money plant vase should be changed every three days.
2006-10-15 00:02:05
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answer #10
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answered by 50+Brat 3
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