Dengue fever
is a disease common to tropical areas, including popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. The virus that produces dengue is easily contracted and produces a short bout with fever and illness that can be so severe as to be potentially lethal. While there is no vaccine for Dengue Fever, there is a blood test to accurately diagnose it.
Geography
Dengue fever is found in tropical countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Guyana, Indonesia, India, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Venezuela and Vietnam. It is found in places where malaria is also common but, unlike malaria, can be found just as often in urban as in rural areas.
Identification
Dengue Fever is initially identified by its symptoms: severe headaches, muscle pains (the joint pains associated with dengue have given it the nickname "breakbone" fever), red skin rashes and high fever. Abdominal problems can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Mild cases are frequently misdiagnosed as influenza. Confirmation can be achieved by a blood test, which accurately identifies the Dengue Fever virus. This kind of blood test can be done at any modern general practice clinic. A 2008 breakthrough has produced a testing kit that can identify Dengue within 15 minutes at an 80 percent success rate ("Wired" magazine).
Features
Dengue is caused by a virus that is transmitted most often by the day-feeding mosquito breed Aedes aegypti. This mosquito also transmits yellow fever.
Time Frame
The typical bout with dengue lasts for a week, being punctuated by a spike in fever toward the end.
Considerations
Severe bouts with Dengue Fever require continued blood testing, due to the substantial drop in platelets that occurs in cases of the Fever that last more than 5 days. Daily blood testing to monitor platelet count may be ordered for any case of Dengue, but should be expected starting on the fifth day of a case of Dengue Fever. This testing is different from a test to identify the virus, but instead is to monitor a potentially dangerous change in blood condition. As platelet testing is a routine blood work task, this testing is performed widely, efficiently, and the results can be known quickly.
Prevention/Solution
There is no vaccine available for Dengue Fever. The only preventative measures revolve around mosquito control. On a health policy level, education about mosquito breeding and insecticide use are common dengue prevention measures. On a personal level, the use of insect repellent and mosquito netting, to prevent bites and therefore transmission, are also effective in reducing the odds of infection.
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