Dengue Fever A Tropical Disease Without Borders

Dengue fever is quite special – it is caused by four different viruses that are all transmitted by a particular type of mosquito. People have developed mild cases of dengue which causes rashes, high fever and sore joints and muscles. The severe forms – dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever – can cause similar symptoms along with plummeting blood pressure, excessive bleeding and death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 100 million cases of dengue fever occur each year around the world. While some cases have cropped up in Hawaii, Texas and the borders of Mexico, this tropical disease is primarily found in tropical and sup-tropical areas of Africa, India, the Central and South Pacific regions, the Caribbean, South and Central America and Southeast Asia.

Cause of Dengue Fever

As mentioned above, there are four different viruses that can cause dengue fever and they are all spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. While many tropical diseases originate in rural areas, this particular one can be found in urban areas, even around clean water sources. The mosquitoes that carry the viruses thrive around populated areas.

The mosquito starts the cycle of infection by biting a person infected with dengue fever. The virus causing it courses through the bloodstream of the mosquito and is then injected into another person through the mosquito's saliva when it bites another unsuspecting victim. As there are four different viruses that cause dengue, you could build some immunity to one after recovering from dengue fever only to catch the disease again when a different viral strain is injected via the mosquito bite.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

The virus from the mosquito usually takes up to a week to incubate and start displaying symptoms. They vary from person to person and the severity of them depends on the type of virus that is causing the dengue fever. Symptoms and signs of the disease include:

* Spiking fever up to 104 or 105

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