Last Updated: 24th July, 2022

What Is Dengue Fever?

Dengue Fever (Monsoon Monster): Dengue fever is a tropical disease, triggered by the dengue virus initiated by mosquitoes. Typically, symptoms start 3 to 14 days after infection. This may include extremely high fever, vomiting, a headache, joint and muscle pain, and a pinkish skin rash which is distinctive. It usually requires two to seven days to recover.

As the National Dengue Prevention Day is held in India on 16th May, we shed some light in this article on how lethal dengue is with a priority on its signs and symptoms.

How Deadly Is Dengue Fever?

Dengue is undoubtedly a deadly disease. According to a 2017 study, the number of dengue cases has increased around 30-fold globally over the past five decades. Moreover, the disease is endemic in more than 100 countries and causes an estimated 50 million infections annually.

A study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, revealed that India is home to nearly a third of the global population at risk of dengue.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus which is carried by female mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti. Just like malaria, dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that spreads from one person to the other only when an Aedes mosquito infected with the dengue virus bites a healthy person.

The disease can be prevented by ensuring proper measures to prevent the entry of mosquitoes in the home and preventing mosquito bite. But the most important thing is to know about the signs and symptoms as it can help in proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

So, and you can save yourself before it is too late for dengue complications, read below to get a fast overview of this disease’s hazardous symptom.

What Are The Symptoms Of Dengue Fever?

Before you know about the key signs and symptoms of dengue, it is important to know the difference between symptoms of dengue fever and normal fever. A normal fever usually may cause throat pain, runny nose, weakness, mild body aches, and high body temperature.

On the contrary, a dengue-infected person will show flu-like symptoms such as capital fever, chronic muscle and joint pain along with rashes of pink color throughout the body in less than 24-48 hours of symptom onset.

Symptoms Of Dengue Fever:

The fever onset usually occurs after 4-10 days of the mosquito bite and usually lasts for 2 – 7 days. High fever, possibly as high as 104°F/105°F (40°C) is mostly accompanied by one or two of the following symptoms which include:

• Joints, muscles and/or bone pains
• Severe headache
• Nausea or vomiting
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• Loss of appetite
• Mild bleeding from the nose or gums
• Bruising easily
• Swollen glands

Usually, the fever lasts 5 – 7 days at a stretch. However, fever could arise on the 3rd or 4th day in some patients and might even strike back. So if you notice any of these symptoms, visit your doctor and get tested for dengue with the help of the NS1 antigen test as per your doctor’s advice.

Signs Of Severe Dengue

After the first sign of dengue appears, it may take around 3-7 days for the disease to turn into a severe condition. This is the critical phase which can even lead to a drop in the temperature (which is not a sign that a person is recovering) but a sign that special care is needed. Because it is the time when further deterioration of health might occur. The warning signs which indicate severe dengue are:

• Severe abdominal pain
• Rash all over the body
• Bleeding gums
• Vomiting blood
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• Rapid heart rate
• Difficulty in breathing
• Fatigue/restlessness
• Severe bleeding
• Severe organ functional impairment and even organ failure

If you suspect any of these signs of severe dengue, it is a sign of danger. This indicates that the patient should be immediately admitted to a hospital and kept under your doctor’s observation to improve the condition.

Hence, it is not wise to ignore any flu-like symptoms and consult a doctor immediately if your symptoms fail to subside within 2 – 3 days. Keep the bite in mind, remain safe!