Dengue
Fever
 |
Aedes albopictus
(Acknowledgement: Pest Control Advisory Section, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department) |
What is Dengue fever?
Dengue Fever is an acute viral disease characterized by sudden onset
of fever for 3-5 days, with intense headache, joint and muscle pain, pain
behind the eyes, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances and rash. Minor
bleeding, such as gum and nose bleeding, may occur at any time during
the febrile phase. Children usually have a milder disease than adults.
The incubation period is 3 to 14 days. Recovery may be followed by prolonged
fatigue and depression. Occasionally, the disease may progress to Dengue
Heamorrhagic Fever (DHF) with bleeding and shock, leading to death. Travellers
to tropical countries, especially in Southeast Asia and Latin America,
may be at risk of dengue infection. Epidemics usually occur during and
shortly after the rainy season.
How does it spread?
Dengue virus is transmitted to human by mosquitoes, especially Aedes
aegypti and Aedes albopictus. This is a day-biting species with increased
biting activities for 2 hours after sunrise and several hours before sunset.
Patients are usually infective for mosquitoes from shortly before to the
end of the febrile period, an average of about 6-7 days. It cannot be
directly transmitted from person to person.
How can you prevent it?
At present, there is no effective vaccine for dengue, so travellers must
rely on preventing mosquito bites to combat infection (especially during
their high biting activity time). The personal protection measures against
mosquito bites are as follows:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers;
- Rest in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms;
- Use aerosol insecticide indoor and use bednets if sleeping areas are
not air-conditioned or screened.
- Use insect repellents containing DEET (for children keep DEET concentration
below 20%) on exposed skin;
- If travelling in endemic rural areas, carry a portable bed-net and
apply permethrin on it as well as to clothes.
How is it treated?
Anyone returning from travel to a dengue-infected area and then falling
sick within one month, especially with bleeding signs, should seek medical
assistance immediately. High fever should be treated by sponging and the
appropriate use of paracetamol. Do not take aspirin because they can lead
to bleeding and cause stomach irritation. There is no specific treatment
available for treating DHF. Supportive measures have to be provided in
hospital.
Dengue fever reporting in different areas of
the world, 2007
| Countries/Areas |
07 Reported number |
08 Reported number |
08 Update |
Source |
|
Asia |
Bangladesh
|
|
|
¡@ |
|
Bhutan
|
|
|
¡@ |
|
Cambodia
|
40,000 (407) |
|
13 Jan |
ProMED |
|
China |
|
|
|
|
Mainland
|
544 |
47 |
10 Sep |
P.R. China MoH |
Hong
Kong
|
58** |
34** |
10 Oct |
HKSAR DH |
|
Macau |
14 |
2** |
27 May |
Macao Health Bureau
|
Taiwan
|
3,553 |
934 |
8 Oct |
Taiwan CDC |
India
|
|
2808(38) |
29 Sep |
ProMED |
Indonesia
|
160,000(1,101) |
7,026*(41) |
7 Jul |
ProMED |
| Japan |
89 |
16** |
28 Apr |
Taiwan CDC |
Lao
|
|
1,900(18) |
11 Aug |
ProMED
|
Malaysia
|
31,279(67) |
33,558 (76) |
23 Sep |
Malaysia MoH |
| Maldives |
1,667 |
581(1) |
18 Jun |
ProMED |
Myanmar
|
11,577(98) |
|
|
ProMED |
| Nepal |
|
|
|
ProMED |
Pakistan
|
1,527*(11) |
287* |
26 Aug |
ProMED |
Philippines
|
24,689(283) |
19,658*(195) |
9 Sep |
ProMED |
Saudi Arabia
|
342 |
16 |
30 Jan |
ProMED |
Singapore
|
8,826(3) |
4,851 |
6 Oct |
Singapore MoH |
Sri
Lanka
|
47 |
34(3) |
18 Feb |
ProMED |
Thailand
|
62,999 (90) |
66,976(77) |
7 Oct |
ProMED |
Timor-Leste
|
|
|
¡@ |
|
Vietnam
|
80,000(68) |
36,900(33) |
1 Sep |
ProMED |
Yemen
|
|
2,100(5) |
21 Jul |
ProMED
|
North
America
|
Mexico
|
40,599(10) |
16,285 |
2
Jun |
PAHO |
| USA |
488 |
|
23 Jan |
PAHO
|
South
America
|
Argentina
|
173 |
28 |
14 May |
PAHO |
Bolivia
|
6,677 (1) |
730(0) |
14 May |
PAHO |
Brazil
|
561,495 (225) |
472,997(199) |
2 Jun |
PAHO |
Colombia
|
42,536 (19) |
15,666(5) |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Ecuador
|
10,753(5) |
1,894 |
14 May |
PAHO |
French
Guiana
|
661 |
191 |
8 Jul |
PAHO |
Paraguay
|
28,182 (17) |
1,953 |
14 May |
PAHO |
Peru
|
6,907 (2) |
10,318(1) |
22 Sep |
ProMED |
Venezuela
|
82,000(42) |
27,049 |
7 Jul |
ProMED |
Central
America and Caribbean Sea
|
Barbados
|
255 |
1 |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Costa
Rica
|
26,440(8) |
4,523 |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Dominican
Republic
|
9,349 (46) |
1,074(6) |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
El
Salvador
|
12,360 |
3,524 |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
| Guatemala |
5,886 (4) |
963 |
8 Jul |
PAHO |
Honduras
|
33,508(8) |
6,637 |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Nicaragua
|
1,564 (11) |
147(1) |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
| Panama
|
3,402 |
269 |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Puerto
Rica
|
11,012(9) |
1,559(2) |
7 Aug |
PAHO |
Trinidad
and Tobago
|
31 |
120(2) |
26 Aug |
ProMED |
| Guadeloupe |
19,200(3) |
160 |
8 Jul |
PAHO |
| Martinique |
5,082(4) |
485 |
8 Jul |
PAHO |
| Jamaica |
1,443(18) |
207 |
8 Jul |
PAHO |
| Oceania |
Australia
|
322 |
329 |
14 Oct |
Australia MoH |
Fiji
|
|
1,849 |
13 Oct |
ProMED |
Palau
|
|
31 |
1 Sep |
ProMED
|
Cook Islands
|
700 |
|
|
ProMED
|
Micronesia
|
6* |
|
|
ProMED |
New Caledonia
|
|
>1,000 |
7 Oct |
ProMED |
American Samoa
|
109 |
162 |
7 Oct |
ProMED
|
Figures in bracket: reported death numbers.
** Imported cases
* Cases in parts of the country
| Abbreviations:
|
| ADSNet | Association of South East Asian Nations Infectious Diseases Outbreak Surveillance Network |
| CDC | Centre for Disease Control |
| DoH | Department of Health |
| MoH | Ministry of Health |
| PAHO | Pan American Health Organisation |
| ProMED | Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
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|
