What is dengue fever?
People with dengue fever have high fever and pain in the joints (Knuckles). It owes the disease its name.
Dengue fever is caused by a virus. This virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that especially on people during the day. The disease occurs in tropical and subtropical regions: South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and South East Asia. Another name for dengue is dengue.
There are four dengue viruses (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4). People can be infected with any virus once.
There are three forms of dengue fever:
- (normal) dengue fever;
- dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe form of dengue fever, with the main feature (internal) bleeding;
- the dengue shock syndrome. If bleeding too much fluid and blood from the blood vessels leaking, someone gets a shock.
There are no medicine for dengue fever. You need to drink a lot. Against the pain should you are using acetaminophen.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
People with dengue fever have the following complaints:
- high fever to 41 ° c, with chills;
- severe headache;
- muscle pain;
- bone and joint pain (especially around and above the coccyx);
- nausea, vomiting;
- cough, sore throat;
- not itchy skin rash on the trunk and later on the limbs and face.
Dengue hemoraggische fever starts as a normal dengue fever. After two to five days you will receive hemorrhages in the skin (bruises and finding point), nose, gums, heart, liver and intestines. The liver is often enlarged.
If there is too much fluid and blood from the blood vessels leaking, touch in shock. The doctor must give you moisture with a drip. If not, you can die.
Usually dengue in infants less severe than in older children and adults.
How can you become infected with the dengue virus?
People can get dengue fever by a mosquito bite of the Asian Tiger mosquito.
A mosquito becomes itself infected with the virus through the blood to suck by someone who at that time dengue fever. In Southeast Asia and West Africa mosquitoes can probably also be infected by monkeys. Mosquitoes carry the virus for life.
Not everyone gets sick after a bite from an infected mosquito. In people who do get sick starting the disease two to fourteen days after the bite. Someone who has dengue fever can not infect other people.
There are four types of the virus: the DEN-1 to the 4. Someone who has antibodies against DEN 1, can not get another dengue fever which is caused by the same type of virus. Can this person be infected with the other three viruses. The disease can then much more serious. This results in previously dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.
Treatment for dengue fever
The treatment of dengue fever consists mostly of fighting the symptoms. Against the disease itself are not medicines. You must always with dengue fever to a doctor or hospital.
People who think they may have contracted dengue fever, absolutely no aspirin or ibuprofen use. By this you will get extra chance on bleeding painkillers. Paracetamol is allowed, but not more than, in the package insert.
To prevent dehydration, it is important that you drink a lot (for example, saline and fruit juice). Patients who get a lot of vomiting fluid through a drip. The GP may you also give something against vomiting.
People with dengue hemorrhagic fever get an infusion of moisture to prevent them into shock. Sometimes a blood transfusion.
In most people is dengue fever after a few weeks on. The virus is gone from the blood.