How long can dengue fever last

The best method of prevention is to avoid mosquito bites. Dengue fever is rare in the United States U. Outbreaks have occurred in Texas, Florida, and Hawaii.

Symptoms usually disappear after a week, and mild dengue rarely involves serious or fatal complications. At first, symptoms of DHF may be mild, but they gradually worsen within a few days. As well as mild dengue symptoms, there may be signs of internal bleeding. Dengue is a virus, so there is no specific treatment or cure. However, intervention can help, depending on how severe the disease is. Preventing dehydration : A high fever and vomiting can dehydrate the body.

The person should drink clean water, ideally bottled rather than tap water. Rehydration salts can also help replace fluids and minerals. Painkillers, such as Tylenol or paracetamol : These can help lower fever and ease pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as aspirin or ibuprofen, are not advised, as they can increase the risk of internal bleeding.

There are four dengue viruses DENV that cause dengue fever. They are all spread by a species of mosquito known as Aedes aegypti , and more rarely by the Aedes albopictus mosquito. The viruses jumped from monkeys to humans between and years ago , according to the CDC, but dengue remained a minor problem until the middle of the twentieth century.

Aedes aegypti originated in Africa, but nowadays it is found in tropical areas around the world, especially in and around areas of human population. The virus is transmitted from an infected mosquito to a human. A mosquito bites a person who is infected with the dengue virus, and the virus is passed on when the mosquito bites someone else.

It it possible to have dengue fever more than once. A second infection carries a higher risk of developing a harsher form. Dengue fever is most common in subtropical and tropical areas, such as Central and South America, parts of Africa, parts of Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Symptoms and Treatment.

Minus Related Pages. Get Email Updates. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. There's little a doctor can do to help you recover, but it's important to get a proper diagnosis in case there's another cause of your symptoms.

You may need a blood test to confirm that you have dengue. There's no cure or specific treatment for dengue. You can only relieve the symptoms until the infection has gone. You should start to feel better after about 1 week, although it may be a few weeks before you feel your normal self again.

Get medical advice if your symptoms don't improve. Mosquitoes in the UK do not spread dengue. Cases in the UK usually happen to people who recently travelled to an area where the virus is common. Use the NHS Fit for Travel destination guide to find out if dengue is a risk in a country you're planning to visit. Dengue is spread by infected mosquitoes, usually the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus varieties. These mosquitoes bite during the day, usually early in the morning or in the early evening before dusk.

They're often found near still water in built-up areas, such as in wells, water storage tanks or in old car tyres. There are four types of the dengue virus. You can get it again if you've had it before, as you'll only be immune to one type of the virus. There's currently no widely available vaccine for dengue. You can prevent it by avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes.