Showing posts with label dangue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dangue. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

What are the Causes of Dengue?



There are four Dengue viruses (DENV) that cause Dengue fever, all of which are spread by a species of mosquito known as the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and more rarely by the Aedes albopictus mosquito. Aedes aegypti originated in Africa, but nowadays is found in all the tropical areas around the world and prospers in and close to areas of human population.

The high risk regions for catching dengue fever are Central America, South America, the Caribbean and tropical Asia; more specifically - northern Argentina, northern Australia, the entirety of Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad, Venezuela and Vietnam, and increasingly in southern China.

The virus is transmitted from an infected mosquito to human. The process begins when a person who is infected with the Dengue virus is bitten by a mosquito, the virus is then passed on when someone else is then bitten by the infected mosquito.

If you have suffered from dengue fever previously it is still possible to contract it again, because of the number of different types of viruses that cause the fever. If you were infected again and became ill, there is a greater risk of developing a harsher form of the disease, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (particularly in children). This is unusual because, normally, previous exposure to a virus causes the body to carry antibodies that allow the body to fight off the virus more easily the second time.

article source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471.php

What are the signs and symptoms of Dengue Fever?



A symptom is something the patient feels or reports, while a sign is something that other people, including the doctor detects. A headache may be an example of a symptom, while a rash may be an example of a sign.

As there are different severities of dengue fever, the symptoms can vary.

Mild Dengue Fever - symptoms can appear up to seven days after the mosquito carrying the virus bites, and usually disappear after a week. This form of the disease hardly ever results in serious or fatal complications. The symptoms of mild dengue fever are:
  • Aching muscles and joints
  • Body rash that can disappear and then reappear
  • High fever
  • Intense headache
  • Pain behind the eyes
  • Vomiting and feeling nauseous
Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) - symptoms during onset may be mild, but gradually worsen after a number of days. DHF can result in death if not treated in time. Mild dengue fever symptoms may occur in DHF, as well as the ones listed below:
  • Bleeding from your mouth/gums
  • Nosebleeds
  • Clammy skin
  • Considerably damaged lymph and blood vessels
  • Internal bleeding, which can result in black vomit and feces (stools)
  • Lower number of platelets in blood - these are the cells that help clot your blood
  • Sensitive stomach
  • Small blood spots under your skin
  • Weak pulse
Dengue shock syndrome - This is the worst form of dengue which can also result in death, again mild dengue fever symptoms may appear, but others likely to appear are:
  • Intense stomach pain
  • Disorientation
  • Sudden hypotension (fast drop in blood pressure)
  • Heavy bleeding
  • Regular vomiting
  • Blood vessels leaking fluid
  • Death
 source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471.php