Health tips about dengue fever in Pakistan

Dengue fever is a virus-caused disease that is spread by mosquitoes.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Dengue fever is caused by one of four different but related viruses. It is spread by the bite of mosquitoes, most commonly the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is found in tropic and subtropic regions. This includes parts of:

1. Indonesian archipelago into northeastern Australia
2. South and Central America
3. Southeast Asia
4. Sub-Saharan Africa
5. Some parts of the Caribbean

Dengue fever is being seen more often in world travelers.

Symptoms

Dengue fever begins with a sudden high fever, often as high as 104 – 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 4 to 7 days after the infection.

A flat, red rash may appear over most of the body 2 – 5 days after the fever starts. A second rash, which looks like the measles, appears later in the disease. Infected people may have increased skin sensitivity and are very uncomfortable.

Other symptoms include:

1. Fatigue
2. Headache (especially behind the eyes)
3. Joint aches
4. Muscle aches
5. Nausea
6. Swollen lymph nodes
7. Vomiting

Signs and tests

Tests that may be done to diagnose this condition include:

1. Antibody titer for dengue virus types
2. Complete blood count (CBC)
3. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for dengue virus types

admin

See Full Bio