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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffDengue (DENG-gay) fever is a disease — ranging from mild to severe — caused by four related viruses spread by a particular species of mosquito. Mild dengue fever causes high fever, rash, and muscle and joint pain. More-severe forms of the disease — dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome — can additionally cause severe bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
No specific treatment for dengue fever exists, and most people recover. But if you have a severe form of the disease, you need hospital care.
Millions of cases of dengue infection occur worldwide each year. Most often, dengue fever occurs in urban areas of tropical and subtropical regions. A few cases have been reported in the United States — particularly in Texas, along the border with Mexico, and in Hawaii.
- Dengue fever overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/DengueFever/Understanding/overview.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Epidemiology of dengue virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Dengue hemorrhagic fever - U.S.-Mexico border, 2005. MMWR. 2007;56:31. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5631a1.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of dengue virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Prevention and treatment of dengue virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/print.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Zielinski-Gutierrez E, et al. Protection against mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects and arthropods. In: Brunette GW, et al. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010. Atlanta, Ga.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; 2009. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/protection-against-mosquitoes-ticks-insects-arthropods.aspx. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
- West Nile virus questions and answers: Insect repellent use and safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
- Tsai T, et al. Flaviviruses (yellow fever, dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis). In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/154687162-3/0/1259/1219.html?tocnode=51380756&fromURL=1219.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50152-5_5152. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
