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What is dengue fever?
Dengue fever is an acute febrile disease caused by the dengue virus. There are four different serotypes of dengue virus circulating in the world, including Singapore. Hence, individuals can be infected with dengue up to four times.
How is dengue fever transmitted?
Dengue fever is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
Persons infected with dengue virus may present with the following symptoms:
Sudden onset of fever
Headache
Pain behind the eyes
Joint and muscle pain
Skin rashes
Mild bleeding (such as nose, or gum bleed, or easy bruising of the skin)
In rare cases, dengue fever may progress to dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. These are severe forms of the infection that can result in death. Symptoms of severe dengue may include:
Bleeding (e.g. gum or nose bleeding, black stool, blood in vomit or stool)
Persistent vomiting
Abdominal pain or tenderness
Restlessness or lethargy
Warning signs for severe dengue usually begin 1 to 2 days after your fever has subsided. If you have any of these warning signs, seek medical attention immediately. Severe dengue is considered an emergency and requires immediate medical care.
What are the risk factors?
Living in or travelling to dengue-affected areas.
How is dengue fever treated?
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Treatment is mainly supportive.
Symptomatic treatment includes paracetamol for fever and pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin should be avoided as they can increase the risk of bleeding. Patients should stay well hydrated. For those with severe dengue, hospitalisation is required.
How to prevent dengue fever?
Individuals living in or travelling to dengue-affected areas are advised to take precautions against mosquito bites, such as:
Staying in rooms which are well-screened from insects from the exterior.
Wearing long, protective clothing that covers most of one’s body.
Using effective insect repellent (e.g. those containing DEET, Picaridin or IR3535 as the active ingredient) and re-applying every four to six hours on exposed skin.