How To Prevent Dengue

Dengue is an infection of the dengue virus and one of the most common arthropod borne viruses. It is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes in the Aedes genus and is considered a major health threat. Dengue is usually a minor febrile illness that resolves without treatment, but it can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal, on rare occasions.

Dengue fever is an acute viral disease caused by the Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae. The term “dengue” is a Spanish attempt at the Swahili phrase “Ki denga pepo” meaning “cramp-like seizure” caused by an evil spirit.
It’s a disease of tropical and subtropical regions that occurs epidemically, very much similar to chikungunya.

This disease is also called “breakbone” fever because it sometimes causes severe joint & muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking, hence the name.
The illness is usually self-limiting and can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month.

How dengue spreads?

Dengue fever is noncontagious i.e., not an airborne infection (an infected person cannot spread the infection to other persons but can be a source of dengue virus for mosquitoes for about 6 days from the start of symptoms).

Dengue virus is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, a specific species of mosquito usually Aedes aegypti (but frequently Aedes albopictus) which bites during morning hours. The mosquito transmits disease by biting an infected person and then biting someone else, similar to the spread of chikungunya.

The incubation period (i.e., period from infection till the manifestation of symptoms) is 4 to 6 days, but may vary with a range of 3 to 14 days.
This disease is a vector borne infection i.e., mosquito is the vector (carrier) of the virus believed to cause this fever and the vector is common both in dengue and chikungunya.

Dengue symptoms

Symptoms of typical (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 5 to 6 days after someone is bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms are more or less similar to that of chikungunya and include:

High-grade fever.

Severe headache.

Severe joint and muscle pain.

Nausea and vomiting.

Skin rash – The rash may appear over most of the body 3 to 4 days after fever.

Bleeding from the nose, gums or under the skin, causing purplish bruises.

Dengue severity classification

Four grades of severity are recognized: Grade I, fever and constitutional symptoms; grade II, grade I plus spontaneous bleeding (of skin, gums, or gastrointestinal tract); grade III, grade II plus agitation and circulatory failure; grade IV, profound shock.

Dengue synonyms

Exanthesis arthrosia, Aden fever, bouquet fever, breakbone fever, dandy fever, date fever, dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, polka fever, solar fever, scarlatina rheumatica.

Dengue diagnosis

Dengue fever can be diagnosed by performing blood test to detect antibodies against the virus.

How to prevent dengue?

Prevention is basically by:

Avoiding mosquito bites (by using mosquito repellents containing DEET, picaridin (KBR3023) or oil of lemon eucalyptus)

Eliminate potential breeding grounds for the vector mosquitoes. This includes even small amounts of stagnant water, especially those around human habitation. Pots and old tires should be kept empty and even water in flower vases should be changed regularly.


Not storing water in open containers. Covering all water containers with lids.

Preventing mosquito entry by keeping doors closed and windows screened.


Wearing protective clothing like long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes when outdoors.

Using mosquito nets at home.

Scrubbing and cleaning margins of containers used for water (to dislodge the eggs of Aedes aegypti)

Covering overhead tank to prevent access to mosquitoes.

Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day; therefore, special precautions should be taken during early morning hours before day break and in the late afternoon before dark.

There is no commercially available dengue vaccine (for dengue Flavivirus).

Dengue treatment and prognosis

Prognosis for dengue fever is good, if the infectious disease is treated on time. However the mortality rate can be as high as 15%. Hence immediate medical attention should be sought in suspected cases with dengue fever.