Can you get recurrent Dengue fever? It’s a confusing answer. But one which you must know.
You can suffer from Dengue fever more than once. The dangers increase with every episode.I am an ENT surgeon and Dengue fever patients often turn up at my clinic with acute nosebleeds. That’s what is so dangerous about Dengue. You can bleed from anywhere!
Dengue fever cause:
Dengue fever is caused by the Dengue virus present in infected Aedes mosquito.Dengue virus has four distinct antigenic types. This means if you have Dengue fever from one type, you can still have a fever from the other types.
Recurrent Dengue Fever
In fact, Dengue fever from mosquito bites causing concurrent(at the same time two )or sequential(one after another ) infection by the different virus strains is the biggest risk factor to developing Dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Dengue Haemorrhagic fever can occur even during the first episode of dengue infection most commonly in infants. Their mothers are most likely having primary immunity to one or more strains of dengue.
Dengue fever is endemic in Asia and Tropical America and so higher rates of Dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Dengue Haemorrhagic fever Symptoms :
It will present suddenly. Mild asymptomatic to severe symptoms may be present. Symptoms include:
- Sudden high fever, pharyngitis rhinitis
- A headache: Frontal
- Eye ache: Retro-orbital/behind the eyes.
- Joint pains, muscle pains.Poor appetite.Nausea.Small reddish rash all over chest and arms.
- Bleeding tendencies .nasal bleeding, gum bleeding
- CAN YOU GET Dengue fever again after suffering from it once?
20 to 30% of Dengue Haemorrhagic fever may be complicated by shock.
There is a 24 to 36 hours of a serious crisis.40 % to 50% of Dengue hemorrhagic fever patients may die due to shock. But in better circumstances and with the availability of timely hospital admission with high-quality ICU support, mortality has been significantly lowered.
Mechanism of bleeding in Dengue Haemorrhagic fever:
Not totally clear. The following theories are assumed.
- A mild degree of Disseminated Intravascular clotting in Dengue.Liver damage.
- Low platelets. All these acts together to cause bleeding tendencies.
Less than 10% of people may have gastrointestinal or intracranial bleeding.
Dengue and Chikungunya are both caused by Aedes aegypti. That’s why in South East Asia both these outbreaks may occur concurrently.Dengue hemorrhagic fever is also known as Philippine, Thai or Singapore Haemorrhagic fever.
Other similar mosquitoes borne viral fever with rash are West Nile fever, Chikungunya, Onyong-Nyong.
5 Facts about Dengue and Prevention and do mosquito repellents work?
Public Awareness is crucial
While we expect the Government to do their part, we need to do ours. Keep your home, school workplace clean and free from waterlogging and garbage. Regular sprays and mosquito repellents are needed on a large scale in places with open drains.
Bursting population, poor sanitation, urban slums, the encroachment of drains and draining areas make mosquito breed freely. Everyone is at risk. But the newborn, elderly , those with other chronic diseases may have a more difficult time. Every episode of Dengue is a potentially fatal episode . The best thing we can do is prevent it. Get rid of mosquitoes for a Dengue free life.
Prevention and surveillance will help us fight this menace. But public awareness is crucial.
How will you know about previous episodes of Dengue ?You will probably have both IgG and IgM Dengue serology if different strains ,if same strain increased titre of IgG .
Municipality must have a definite action plan if we want to prevent this recurrent. problem.
Multiple episodes of Dengue are still being reported from all over. If we don’t take care, who will?
Reference :
Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine
Nelson Text book of Pediatric
CDC :https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html
Updated September 2023
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