Pakistan is battling an outbreak of dengue fever as health officials confirmed more than 10,000 cases and 20 deaths in recent months. More patients with symptoms of dengue fever have been arriving at hospitals in all major cities. Health officials hope that anti-mosquito spraying in urban areas targeting stagnant water will help contain the disease.
Signs and symptoms
The disease has a sudden onset and symptoms may include:
- fever for 3 to 7 days
- intense headache and pain behind the eyes
- muscle and joint pain
- loss of appetite
- vomiting and diarrhoea
- skin rash
- bleeding, usually from the nose or gums.
Recovery is sometimes associated with prolonged fatigue and depression.
Repeated episodes of dengue fever may result in excessive bleeding and shock but, with appropriate treatment, are rarely fatal.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of dengue fever is made by clinical presentation and a blood test.
Incubation period
(time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)
3 to 14 days, commonly 4 to 7 days.
Infectious period
(time during which an infected person can infect others)
A mosquito becomes infected if it bites an infected person while the fever is present (an average period of about 3 to 5 days).
After biting an infected person it takes 8 to 12 days before the mosquito can infect other people.
The mosquito remains infectious for life.
Dengue fever is not directly spread from person-to-person.
Treatment
There is no specific antiviral treatment available.
General recommendations include controlling fever and pain with paracetamol rather than aspirin (aspirin may promote bleeding), and increasing fluid intake. Aspirin should not be given to children under 12 years of age unless specifically recommended by a doctor.
Dengue is dangerous and can prove to be life-threatening. If the initial symptoms are not treated, dengue hemorrhagic fever can occur. This can cause damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death.
