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Dengue Fever - What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue Fever, also known as Break Bone Fever is an infection transmitted by mosquitoes and affects approximately 20 million people a year with about 24,000 people dying worldwide each year.

How can I get Dengue Fever?

By being bitten by the Ades species mosquito which unlike other mosquito species, bites during the day

What are the symptoms?

Dengue Fever has flu-like symptoms with headaches and fever. Some also get rashes and aches that can last for 2 to 3 days and an infected person may feel tired for up to 3 months

An infected person can feel tired for up to three months, but will not usually need treatment.

The condition is rarely fatal but there is one form of the disease, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) that can be a fatal complication. DHF is often characterised by a high fever, a bleeding and often enlarged liver and in the most severe cases circulatory fever.

How is it treated?

There is currently no vaccine for this disease but tourists or travellers should use insect repellents and wear long sleeved shirts and trousers while in high risk areas to try and avoid being bitten.

Where are the High Risk areas?

It is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, Southern America, the Eastern Mediterranean, South-east Asia and the Western Pacific.

If you return home from holiday or travelling and you think you have symptoms of Dengue Fever then you should consult your doctor's surgery or, in the UK, phone NHS Direct on 0845 4647.