Dengue Virus

With more than one-third of the world’s population living in areas at risk for infection, dengue virus is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. As many as 400 million people are infected yearly. Dengue is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. There are not yet any vaccines to prevent infection with dengue virus and the most effective protective measures are those that avoid mosquito bites. When infected, early recognition and prompt supportive treatment can substantially lower the risk of medical complications and death.
Dengue has emerged as a worldwide problem only since the 1950s. Although dengue rarely occurs in the continental United States, it is endemic in Puerto Rico and in many popular tourist destinations in Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.

Symptoms
There are three phases during a Dengue infection: (1) Febrile Phase, (2) Critical Phase, and (3) Recovery Phase.

During Febrile Phase, the primary symptoms show. These are the indicators that you already infected with Dengue. The usual symptoms felt by a patient are headhache, high fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius, muscle and joint pains and rashes. In more serious cases, vomiting, diarrhea, and mouth and nose bleeding may be observed.

In the Critical Phase, pleural effusion, ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding, and hypotension are observed. These causes the patient to have blood colored urine and excrement.

As for the Recovery Phase, for those who underwent a stronger strain of Dengue virus, seizures and altered level of consciousness will be seen. But, if the patient only acquired the type 1 or type 2 strain of Dengue, they will only feel some itching at some parts of the body.

History and Cause

There are 5 strains of Dengue virus: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4, and the latest strain discovered by researchers the fifth strain.

Dengue virus is carried by several species of mosquitoes within the genus