Dengue

Dengue Latest News

Kerala scientists recently developed a Dengue Early Warning System (DEWS) using machine learning, six years of case data, and weather variables to forecast district-level dengue trends and help health authorities act before outbreaks intensify.

About Dengue

• Dengue (break-bone fever) is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV).
• While many dengue infections are asymptomatic or produce only mild illness, the virus can occasionally cause more severe cases and even death.
• The virus is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, including Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia, and the Pacific Islands, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.
• Dengue epidemics tend to have seasonal patterns, with transmission often peaking during and after rainy seasons. 

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Dengue Transmission

• It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes carrying one of four types of dengue virus (DENV).
• It isn’t contagious from person to person except when passed from a pregnant person to their child.
• An estimated 400 million dengue infections occur worldwide each year, with about 96 million resulting in illness.
• A person can be infected with dengue multiple times in their life.

Dengue Symptoms

• The most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. Most will get better in 1–2 weeks.
• A very small portion of people with dengue fever get a severe case. It’s called dengue hemorrhagic fever.
• This severe form of dengue fever happens when the infection harms blood vessels and causes them to leak. 
• The number of clot-forming cells, called platelets, in the bloodstream drops. 
• This can lead to shock, bleeding inside the body, organ failure, and death. 
• Individuals who are infected for the second time are at greater risk of severe dengue. 

Dengue Treatment

• There is no specific medicine to treat dengue. The focus is on treating pain symptoms.
• It is generally treated with supportive care such as pain relievers, bed rest, and fluids.

News: NDTV