what is dengue fever dengue is a mosquitoborne seasonal viral infection caused by four closely related viruses denv 14 it gets transmitted by the bite of the female mosquito of genus aedes these domestic mosquitoes thriving around human habitations typically bite in daylight hours they are easily recognised by their peculiar white spotted body and legs in india outbreak of the disease usually occurs in the post monsoon season when the mosquito population reaches its peak more severe infection known as dengue hemorrhagic fever dhf caused by the same virus can be fatal if not detected at early stage what are the symptoms of the disease the symptoms become visible four to six days after the viruss entry in the patients body the main symptoms of dengue are high fever 103105 degrees f severe headache severe pain behind the eyes joint pain muscle and bone pain rash and mild bleeding from nose or gums because of severe joint pain dengue is also known as break bone fever while the initial symptoms are the similar to dengue in dhf small purplish spots appear on the skin which is caused by blood leaking out of the vessels this is caused by the decrease in platelets the smallest blood vessels capillaries become excessively permeable leaky allowing the fluid component to escape from the blood vessels to organs of the body the emergence of large bruised areas on the patients body is also a common symptom sometimes the bleeding in the stomach may cause vomiting of blood due to severe haemorrhage this may lead to the patients death what is the treatment for dengue like most viral diseases there is no specific cure for dengue antibiotics do not help and paracetamol is the drug of choice other medicines such as aspirin and brufen or any medicine that can decrease the platelet count should be avoided since they can increase the risk of bleeding most patients with dengue fever can be treated at home it is advised to take rest drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious diet and stay in constant touch with a physician dhf on the other hand requires hospitalization it is possible to get dengue more than once as the disease is caused by four different strains of virus being affected by one strain insures no protection against the others what can be done to reduce the risk of acquiring dengue infected humans are the main carriers and multipliers of the virus they are the main virus source for the mosquitoes the viruses are transmitted from human to human through the bites of the female aedes mosquitoes which acquires it while feeding on the blood of an infected person hence the only way to prevent the outbreak of the disease is community based mosquito control aimed at eliminating all the places where the mosquito could lay eggs the mosquito primarily breeds in manmade containers like earthenware jars metal drums and concrete cisterns discarded plastic food containers and other items that collect