What you need to know about DENGUE.

The Basics: Dengue is a viral disease. That means antibiotics (which are used to control bacterial

infections) will not help. There are currently not any antiviral medications that help to control

it. Thus, the best “treatment” is prevention.

There is abundant information from the Secreteria de Salud and other organizations about its

transmission. It is usually regarded as a disease transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

Much of the information also describes the mosquito as having black legs with white spots. The reality is

that while most of the cases are transmitted by Aedes aegypti, which also transmits Yellow Fever, there

are other mosquitoes, mostly in the Aedes family that also transmit Dengue. Furthermore, the mosquito

Anopheles also has white markings on its legs (although smaller markings). Anopheles is not responsible

for the transmission of Dengue, but it does transmit Malaria. The Culex mosquito does not have any

marking on its legs, but it is famous for transmitting West Nile Fever. Unless you really want to become

a mosquito expert, do not worry too much about identifying what mosquito it is that is flying around

you. There are no good mosquitoes.

Aedes aegypti is not a very resilient mosquito. Before developing into the adult mosquito, it

first needs to develop in a very specific environment. It thrives better in water that has bacterial

byproducts than it does in clean water. They need still water so the eggs can be laid just above

or at the water level, and not in the water like other mosquitoes. They prefer shade, especially

the first two days of the adult mosquito’s life when its exoskeleton is too soft to give

protection, and its wings are too soft to fly. Thus, as you notice, all these conditions are often

found with stagnant water in a domestic setting.

The mosquito must become infected by the blood of another person before it can transmit

Dengue. If no one in your area has dengue, there is no risk. However, there are cases, and the

number of cases last year was a huge increase from the year before. This year could be even

worse if action is not taken to stop it. “Your area” (or actually the mosquito’s area) is about a

nine-block range. If you live in a neighborhood where others do not pay attention to stagnant

water, they will put you at risk even if you do not have standing water. One female mosquito

will typically draw blood from no more than seven people in its 45-day lifespan. This means that

one mosquito could potentially become infected from its first victim, and then infect the next

six. These six could each infect another six within a nine-block range of each of them, and so on.

What are the symptoms? Note that many people have mild cases with no obvious symptoms.

Many of the symptoms of Dengue are the same as other diseases such as the flu, pneumonia,

or other infections. A high fever, body ache, and general weakness are the main symptoms.

However, you will not have a cough or sore throat like you would have with a respiratory

infection. Headache and an ache from behind the eyes is common, but not everyone gets the

same symptoms. Sometimes a stomach ache is the more obvious symptom (especially in

children). “Bone” ache is very indicative of Dengue, and it is seen in the more severe cases (thus

its nickname of “Bone Break Fever). In the worst cases, platelets (which control bleeding) are

greatly reduced, and a person may get small red spots on the skin, or even exhibit bleeding

from the gums or whites of the eyes.

The disease usually goes away on its own. However, do not take any non-steroidal anti-

inflammatory medication such as aspirin, naproxen, etc. because they can compromise platelet

function. Acetaminophen (called paracetamol in Mexico) can be taken for pain and fever if

needed without affecting platelet function, however due to the lesser possibility of Dengue

affecting the liver, I would not recommend taking anything until advised by your doctor.

If you suspect you may have Dengue, see your doctor. He or she will evaluate you based of your

symptoms, and will usually order a “biometria hematica” as a first order lab exam. Viral antigen

tests do exist, but are not always available due to their high cost. Treatments will vary from

acetaminophen to hospitalization and transfusion. Again, the best treatment is prevention.