Dengue Fever Virus: Complication, Prevention, Types, Characteristics
Definition of Dengue Fever:
Dengue is a mosquito born infection which is caused by dengue virus. it is a viral fever caused by dengue virus. Dengue fever is an acute mosquito-borne viral illness of sudden onset with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy), and rash.
Epidemiological Features of Dengue Fever:
It includes-
- Agent: Dengue virus
- Reservoir: Man and mosquito
- Transmission cycle: Man → mosquito → Man
- Host factors: Age and sex – All ages and both sexes are susceptible.
- Environmental factors: Epidemics often during rainy season and post monsoon.
- Vector: Mosquito (species of Aedes).
- Mode of transmission: Female Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits the disease.
- Incubation period: 2-7 days.
Serological Types of Dengue Virus:
It includes-
- DEN-1,
- DEN-2,
- DEN-3
- DEN-4.
Characteristics of Dengue Fever Virus:
All the properties of dengue fever have listed in the below:
- RNA virus,
- Enveloped,
- Human are the reservoir,
- Incubation period 2-7 days,
- Cytoplasmic replication,
- Female Aedes aegypti mosquito transmits the disease,
- Viraemia is present at the time of fever.
Complication of Dengue Fever or Virus Infection:
It includes the following-
1. Infection may be asymptomatic,
2. Spontaneous recovery,
3. Dengue haemorrhagic fever,
4. Dengue shock syndrome,
5. Other complications:
- DIC,
- Hepatitis,
- Encephalitis,
- Myocarditis,
- Cerebral haemorrhage or oedema.
Prevention of Dengue Fever Virus:
1. Mosquito control: the vectors of dengue fever (DF) and Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) breed in and around the house.
a. Anti-larval measures:
- Environment control (source reduction): The environment should be cleaned up and got rid of water holding containers such as discarded tins, empty pots, and broken bottles and similar other artificial collection of water.
- Chemical control: Larviciding- temophos (abate) can be freely used in water collection.
b. Anti-adult measures: Residual sprays
c. Protection against mosquito bites:
- Use of Mosquito net,
- Use of Mosquito repellents (Diethyltolenamide).
2. Notification: Occurrence of epidemics needs to be reported.
3. Appropriate treatment of dengue fever (DF) and Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF).
4. Vaccine:
- A live attenuated vaccine effective against all 4 strains of the dengue virus.
- Clinical traits in adult volunteers have shown the vaccine to be safe and the immunological response to be encouraging.
More questions related to this article:
- What is dengue?
- Write down the epidemiology of dengue fever.
- Write down the causative agent and mode of transmission of dengue.
- What are the dengue viruses?
- Write down the important characteristics of dengue virus.
- What is dengue virus?
- How can you prevent dengue fever?
- Write down the preventive measures of dengue fever.
- Write down the outcomes of dengue virus infection.
Maria Khatun Mona is a Founder and Editor of Nursing Exercise Blog. She is a Nursing and Midwifery Expert. Currently she is working as a Registered Nurse at Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has great passion in writing different articles on Nursing and Midwifery. Mail her at “maria.mona023@gmail.com”