Dengue fever occurs in Asia, Central America, South America, Africa and Australia. It is an acute viral infectious disease, a type of hemorrhagic fever (along with yellow fever and ebola). What are the symptoms of dengue fever and how is it treated? How can you catch it? Is there a vaccine for dengue fever?

Dengue fever , also known as "breakbone fever", belongs to the group of hemorrhagic fever - a group of diseases that share a common bleeding disorder.

This group also includes yellow fever or Ebola virus infection. Dengue is found in the hot climates of Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and the islands of Oceania.

Dengue fever - causes. How can you get infected?

The disease is caused by the dengue virus from the groupFlaviviridae . There are 4 serotypes of the virus, however dengue hemorrhagic fever is caused only by serotypes 3 and 4. The virus only enters the body from mosquito bites Aedes aegypti( Egyptian mosquito), more rarely other mosquitoes of the typeAedes . The disease does not spread from person to person.

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Dengue fever - symptoms

Dengue symptoms may appear 3-14 days after being infected (4-7 days on average). The disease can take one of three forms:

1) Acute fever. Usually runs from

  • maculopapular rash
  • catarrh of the upper respiratory tract

2) Dengue fever. It is characterized by a sharp start with:

  • fever
  • headaches
  • joint and muscle pains (knee joint involvement is characteristic, forcing you to walk on the legs stiffened in the knees)
  • enlargement of the lymph nodes

The fever drops after 2-4 days. After a few or a dozen or so hours, a second feverish period takes place, lasting 1-2 days. A maculopapular rash then appears, initially affecting the backs of the arms and legs, later spreading to the limbs and torso, rarely involving the face. The rash subsides, leaving behind discoloration or peeling of the epidermis.

3) Dengue hemorrhagic fever

Initiallyvomiting appears. On day 2-3 of illness they join:

  • stomach pains
  • liver enlargement
  • symptoms of hemorrhagic diathesis, with petechiae and ecchymoses on the limbs, lumbosacral region and face
  • coma sometimes

Bleeding into body cavities occurs on day 4-5, often with symptoms of shock and loss of consciousness. This is dengue hemorrhagic fever with shock syndrome.

Without treatment, death is usually achieved within 4-6 hours of onset of shock symptoms. Probably until the above-mentioned form of the disease, it is necessary to have a history of dengue caused by another type of virus.

Dengue fever - diagnosis

Blood tests are performed. There is leukopenia with lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia (in hemorrhagic fever), hypoalbuminemia, increase in blood transaminases and urea, prolonged prothrombin time and a decrease in the concentration of coagulation factors: II, V, VI, IX and XI.

Dengue fever treatment

Treatment is symptomatic and mainly consists in counteracting the effects of hemorrhagic diathesis. In addition, you need to correct the water and electrolyte disturbances by giving freshly frozen plasma, a concentrate of red blood cells, platelets, and hydrating.

Dengue fever - there is a vaccine!

Its name is Dengvaxia and it is the first registered vaccine in the world intended for use in the prevention of dengue fever. It is to prevent 8 out of 10 hospitalizations and up to 93 percent. severe cases of dengue.

In March 2016, it was approved in Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador and the Philippines for use in the prevention of dengue fever caused by all four serotypes of the virus in people aged 9-45 living in endemic areas.

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommends that other countries with high dengue infection rates consider introducing a vaccine.

- The European Commission has approved a vaccine against dengue fever with the trade name Dengvaxia. This decision is the result of a positively completed vaccine authorization procedure issued by the European Medicines Agency. The vaccine can be administered to people from 9 to 45 years of age living in endemic areas of the disease with documented previous infection with dengue virus - we read on vaccination.pzh.gov.pl.

Vaccination is recommended for people in high-risk areas for dengue fever to preventrepeated infections - reinfection with the virus is much more rapid than the first one.

Category:

Infectious diseases