By:

Marcos García Nicolás

DEFINITION Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease caused

by the dengue virus. It’s transmitted by several species of mosquito. This fever is observed frequently in people who travel around the world.

Aedes aegypti

SYMPTOMSThe principal symptoms are:

fever

headache

muscle and joint pains

characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles.

FEVER The febrile phase involves high fever, potentially over

40 °C, and is associated with generalized pain and a headache; this usually lasts two to seven days. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.

OTHER SYMPTOMS Dengue can occasionally affect several other body

systems, either in isolation or with the classic dengue symptoms. A decreased level of consciousness occurs some cases, which is explained by an inflammation of the brain by the virus or as a result of impairment of vital organs, for example, the liver.

DENGUE FEVER EVOLUTION In a small proportion of cases the disease develops

into dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and the lose of blood plasma, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.

This types of deseases are much more dangerous and can cause the died

PREVENTION There are no approved vaccines for the dengue virus so

the prevention depends of the control and protection from the bites of the mosquito that transmits it.

Other method of controlling this fever is eliminatingthe Aedes aegypti mosquito’s habitats.

This is done by emptying containers of water or by adding insecticides orbiological control agents to these areas