Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral illness carried by the Aedes mosquito.
There are four ‘strains’ of the dengue virus which can infect humans. The virus is from the same family of viruses as yellow fever and Zika virus.
8 out of 10 people who are infected with dengue will get no symptoms at all. Of the 2 in 10 people who do get symptoms, 9 out of 10 will develop the “mild” disease. About 2 in 100 people with dengue will develop “severe dengue”.
Mild dengue
The incubation period of dengue is usually 4-10 days. This is the time from when you have been bitten, to when you first start to have symptoms.
Dengue is a flu-like illness, and patients usually experience headache, muscle pain, and high temperature (fever). There is often a rash, which usually (but not always) blanches on pressure. Where symptoms occur, the illness typically begins with a sudden, high fever (39.5-41°C/104°F). The fever comes and goes over about two days. Other symptoms include:
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Severe headache.
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Headache behind the eyes.
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Muscle and joint pains.
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Feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) – particularly in children.
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Swollen glands.
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Rash, which usually pales when pressed with a glass.
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Symptoms which usually last for 2-7 days.
A measles-like rash often occurs. This may be a blotchy red rash which may run together so that it looks like ‘islands of white in a sea of red’. Small red spots that do not disappear when the skin is pressed may also appear.
In mild dengue, the fever then resolves and the patient recovers. In severe dengue, another phase of the disease starts after other symptoms settle.
Severe dengue
Symptoms of severe dengue include:
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Severe tummy pain.
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Persistent vomiting, sometimes with blood in the vomit.
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Fast breathing.
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Tiredness.
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Feeling of physical restlessness.
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Purple spots or blotches on the skin, which may not fade when pressed with a glass.
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Nosebleeds (epistaxes).
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Bleeding gums.
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Low blood pressure and slow heart rate.
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Swollen glands.
People with severe dengue may become very sick, with shock, collapse, and severe bleeding. Severe dengue is a life-threatening illness. Urgent medical attention is needed and people often need to be seen in hospital.
There is greatest risk of dengue if you visit an area where dengue mosquitoes are present. This is most likely in cities, where people are more crowded. It’s also more likely if public hygiene and sanitation are poor so that there are many mosquitoes. It is also more likely if you visit a more rural area with a current outbreak.
Dengue is carried by mosquitoes in warmer parts of the world, including Africa, South America, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. It is most common in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America.
How common is it in the UK?
300-400 cases of dengue occur each year in the UK, in travellers returning from countries where dengue is common. It is likely that other mild cases may go undetected.
Dengue epidemics occur when many infected people are close together in an area where there are many biting Aedes mosquitoes. If there are large numbers of people carrying the virus then the mosquitoes are more likely to become infected, and if there are a lot of infected mosquitoes biting then more people will be infected.
You are most likely to catch dengue through being bitten by an infected mosquito. Dengue virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito – most commonly a mosquito called Aedes aegypti. Very rarely, you can catch dengue from another person – this is most likely to be when someone with dengue gives birth and passes it to their baby, but it is possible to catch dengue from a blood transfusion, an organ donation, and from sexual contact.
This mosquito likes to be where there is human development – it prefers to lay its eggs in man-made water containers. The mosquito feeds in daylight in the early morning or late afternoon, so night-time mosquito nets are not sufficient protection. Only the female Aedes mosquito feeds on blood.
The same species of mosquito can also transmit chikungunya fever, yellow fever, and Zika virus, if they are present in the local population.
In order for the mosquito to become infected it needs to feed on a person who has large amounts of virus in the blood; this happens early in a case of dengue, often before people know that they are infected. The virus needs to live for 8-12 days in the mosquito before it is capable of being passed on to another person. The mosquito remains infected with dengue for the remainder of its life, which might be days or a few weeks.
Non-severe
Dengue is often not diagnosed – when symptoms are mild or non-existent you may never know that you have had the infection.
Symptomatic dengue can mimic many other illnesses. Some of these illnesses are more common in returning travellers than others. If you have been in the middle of a dengue outbreak then you must mention this to your doctor if you have symptoms.
Most doctors in the UK will not have treated cases of dengue: only about 400 cases a year are diagnosed in the UK. If you have been to an area where there is malaria or dengue and have a fever, you will usually be sent to the A&E department where you will have blood test for malaria. A blood test can also be done to test for dengue. Dengue resembles so many other conditions that the only way to make the diagnosis certainly is through blood tests.
Severe dengue
Even severe dengue can be confused with several other conditions, although there are fewer possibilities and you will be tested for all of them.
Your doctor will only think to test you for dengue if they are aware that you have recently travelled abroad to a dengue area. Always remember to tell your doctor about recent foreign travel, especially if you have a fever.
If you are suspected of having dengue then blood tests will be performed to look for signs of the virus in your blood. Doctors can also look for antibodies in the blood suggesting recent or previous dengue.
Severe dengue usually occurs with a second attack of dengue caused by a different strain of dengue virus to your previous attack. It mainly affects children and is extremely rare in returning travellers.
The symptoms of dengue are mainly caused by our own immune systems responding to the virus. In the case of severe dengue the immune system responds dramatically, producing destructive substances which damage organs and make fluid leak from blood vessels. Children and young adults tend to have the most reactive immune systems, and this is thought to be why they are more likely to get severe dengue compared with older people.
90% of severe dengue cases occur in children aged less than 15 years.
Can dengue happen twice?
You can have dengue more than once. A second dengue infection is more likely to be serious.
There are four types of dengue virus – and once you have had one dengue virus you remain immune to the particular strain – but you are not immune to the other types.
Most cases of dengue end with a ‘recovery phase’. Patients are often very itchy, and where there has been a rash the skin may peel. There may be a new rash, which may or may not blanch on pressing, and patients feel tired.
Non-severe
There is no specific treatment for dengue. If your symptoms are mild, then paracetamol is helpful for the fever, headache, and aching muscles.
Severe dengue
Patients with severe dengue can quickly become severely unwell – close monitoring is needed. Treatment will include:
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Fever control with paracetamol, tepid sponging, and fans.
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Intravenous fluids which are likely to be needed, as severe dengue causes fluid to leak from veins and arteries into the surrounding tissues. You will be closely monitored, with regular blood tests.
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In very severe cases, intensive care may be needed to support vital organs whilst the disease runs its course.
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Treatment for secondary bacterial infections, which commonly occur.
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Blood products, which may also be needed.
If a pregnant woman contracts dengue in early pregnancy there is an increased chance of miscarriage. Dengue can also be dangerous to the developing baby later in pregnancy, particularly if it is the mother’s second infection. Both she and her baby can develop severe dengue.
There are usually no complications – an attack of dengue is most commonly like having the flu. When the patient’s appetite returns this is a good sign of recovery, although tiredness can last for some weeks after recovery.
Severe dengue is a life-threatening infection. If untreated, around 50 in 100 people with severe dengue will die although in hospital this number reduces to between 1 and 5 in 100 people.
Most severe dengue and most deaths occur in children aged less than 15 years; however, in recent years the number of deaths in young adults has increased.
There is one licensed dengue vaccine at the moment, which is only partially effective, although others are being developed. Any vaccine needs to protect against all four strains of dengue – and against any new strains that emerge in the future. The current dengue vaccine is available as a private travel vaccine for anyone over the age of 4.
There are new vaccines being developed but these are not yet available.
Avoid travelling to areas where there is a dengue outbreak.
Mosquito nets will not protect against the Aedes mosquito, as it bites during the day. Insect repellents, particularly those containing N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), will prevent mosquito bites and therefore the chance of catching dengue.
Consider using permethrin or other repellent to further repel mosquitoes from your clothing, and wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, and other clothes that cover exposed skin.
Because dengue is a flu-like illness, any illness which can cause fever and aching can mimic dengue.
If you have travelled to a region where dengue is present and you develop a fever, then dengue is one possible cause. Other causes of fever in returning travellers include:
This list is not complete; there are many other infections which can cause a fever with flu-like symptoms. Your doctor will want to talk about where you have been, what exposure you have had to biting insects, what vaccinations you have had and what your symptoms are in order to work out which conditions you are likely to have.
Dr Mary Lowth is an author or the original author of this leaflet.
