Dengue fever is caused by one of four different but related viruses. It is spread by the bite of mosquitoes, most commonly the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is found in tropic and subtropic regions.
Dengue fever should not be confused with Dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is a separate disease that is caused by the same type of virus, but has much more severe symptoms.
Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include
1. Sudden, high fever
2. Severe headaches
3. Pain behind the eyes
4. Severe joint and muscle pain
5. Fatigue
6. Nausea
7. Vomiting
8. Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
9. Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)
Sometimes, symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the fluor another viral infection. Younger children and people who have never had the infection before tend to have milder cases than older children and adults.
