Friday, 9 November 2012

Dengue Fever

Dengue Fever is an acute infectious disease induced by the propagation of dengue viruses via mosquitoes ( Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus) and its primary symptoms are high fever, strange aches in the head, muscles, bones and joints, and the posterior orbital ache as well as eruption.  

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The Epidemiology of Dengue Fever

Dengue Fever primarily occurs in the tropical and subtropical countries where Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus exist, especially in areas with abundant vectors of Aedes aegypti, e.g. Asia, Latin America, Africa and Australia, as well as some islands in the Pacific region, also inclusive of Taiwan.

Mode of transmission

Infection is a result of bites via vectors of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. After bitten by vectors, viruses will enter human blood from the saliva of the vector and infect the host. About 5 to 8 days after the naïve patients were infected, viruses cause viremia via substantial proliferation and result in an attack once. If the patients are further bitten by non-vectors, these non-vectors will become pathogenic, and spread dengue viruses to other people via bites.

aedes-aegypti life cyle 2

Treatment of Dengue Fever

There is no specific drug for Dengue Fever at present, and supportive treatment can only alleviate the patient's discomfort temporarily.

Prevention of occurrence of Dengue Fever

The methods are primarily classified into two large categories; the first is to prevent the vector bites and the second is to eliminate the larva「wigglers」of vectors





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