What is Dengue?
Dengue is an acute flu like fever caused by virus. It occurs in two forms:
- Dengue fever (DF)
- Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)
Dengue fever is marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes and in the muscles and joints.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an acute infectious viral disease usually affecting infants and young children. It is characterised by fever during the initial phase and other symptoms like headache, pain in the eye, joint pain and muscle pain, followed by signs of bleeding such as petechiae (red tiny spots on the skin), nosebleed and gum-bleed. If there is blood in the stools and/or blood in the vomit and accompanied by shock, this is called Dengue Shock Syndrome and is often fatal. Aedes Aegypti, the transmitter of the disease is a day-bitting mosquito that lays eggs in clear water containers, such as flower vases, cans, rain barrels, old rubber tyres, etc. The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the house.
