Fast facts on dengue fever
Here are some key points about dengue fever. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.
Dengue fever (DF) is caused by any of four closely related viruses, or serotypes: dengue 1-4.
Dengue is transmitted between people by the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which are found throughout the world.
Around 2.5 billion people, or 40% of the world's population, live in areas where there is a risk of dengue transmission.
Dengue is endemic in at least 100 countries in Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean.
WHO estimates that 50-100 million infections occur yearly, including 500,000 dengue hemorraghic fever (DHF) cases and 22,000 deaths, mostly among children.
Most dengue cases in US citizens occur in those inhabitants of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Samoa and Guam, which are endemic for the virus.
Symptoms of infection usually begin 4-7 days after the mosquito bite and typically last 3-10 days.
There is no vaccine available against dengue, and there are no specific medications to treat a dengue infection.
Prevention the most important step, and prevention means avoiding mosquito bites.
If a clinical diagnosis is made early, a health care provider can effectively treat DHF using fluid replacement therapy.