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DENGUE

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection common in warm climates that causes a wide range of symptoms from mild to severe. There are four serotypes of dengue virus that can lead to fever, headaches, joint pain, and potentially fatal bleeding and shock without treatment. While there is no cure for dengue infection, hospital care can manage symptoms and reduce fatality rates below 1%. Dengue is increasing worldwide at 400% over 13 years and is estimated to cause nearly 100 million symptomatic cases annually, making it a major public health threat.

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58 views2 pages

DENGUE

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection common in warm climates that causes a wide range of symptoms from mild to severe. There are four serotypes of dengue virus that can lead to fever, headaches, joint pain, and potentially fatal bleeding and shock without treatment. While there is no cure for dengue infection, hospital care can manage symptoms and reduce fatality rates below 1%. Dengue is increasing worldwide at 400% over 13 years and is estimated to cause nearly 100 million symptomatic cases annually, making it a major public health threat.

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Ella
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DENGUE

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that is common in warm, tropical


climates. Infection is caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses (called
serotypes) and these can lead to a wide spectrum of symptoms, including some which
are extremely mild (unnoticeable) to those that may require medical intervention and
hospitalization. In severe cases, fatalities can occur. There is no treatment for the
infection itself but the symptoms that a patient experiences can be managed. 

Earlier this year, WHO listed dengue as a potential threat among ten diseases for
2019 and current outbreaks in many countries confirm this observation. Dengue
epidemics tend to have seasonal patterns, with transmission often peaking during and
after rainy seasons. There are several factors contributing to this increase and they
include high mosquito population levels, susceptibility to circulating serotypes,
favourable air temperatures, precipitation and humidity, all of which affect the
reproduction and feeding patterns of mosquito populations, as well as the dengue virus
incubation period. Lack of proactive control interventions and staff are some of the other
challenges.

SYMPTOMS
Dengue is a self-limiting febrile illness with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to
severe. Symptoms of dengue may be observed around 4–10 days after the bite of an
infected mosquito. Common symptoms are like that of the flu, with patients
experiencing: 
 fever 
 headaches 
 pain behind the eyes 
 muscle and joint pain 
 nausea/vomiting 
 rash 
 fatigue. 
As the disease progresses, patients can also suffer from respiratory distress,
bleeding from the nose and gums and have a rapid drop in blood pressure leading to
shock. If left unmanaged, this can lead to death. Sound case management of dengue in
hospitals has helped to reduce case fatality rates to less than 1% in most affected
countries. 

Dengue is increasing at a higher rate than any other communicable disease, with
400% increase over 13 years (2000–2013). Annual dengue incidence is estimated to be
in the order of 100 million symptomatic cases a year, with another ~300 million
asymptomatic infections. The greatest burden is seen in Asia (75%) followed by Latin
America and Africa.  

SOURCE:
https://www.who.int/health-topics/dengue-and-severe-dengue#tab=tab_1

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