What is Dengue fever/Breakbone fever?
Dengue Fever (or Breakbone Fever) is an infectious disease which is received through the bite of a Female mosquito of the genus Aedes, mainly A. aegypti. After the mosquito has received the virus, she will carry it for the rest of her life, spreading it to each human that she bites. Humans cannot transfer the virus by themselves, so, instead, it spreads from mosquito to human to mosquito. (However, there have been cases of which the Dengue virus has been found in monkeys. ) There are four major types of Dengue Viruses, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. ("All about Dengue.")
In most Dengue Fever cases, the patient develops a severe, flu-like illness with exhibiting several key symptoms. However, more severe cases may develop Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). If this occurs, there is a greater mortality rate, irregardless medical attention. ("All about Dengue.") A Dengue Fever epidemic was first reported around 1779-1980 in Asia, Africa, and North America. However, it was considered a mild and non-fatal disease which could only be received in the tropics. During this time, epidemics, in general, occurred often, with 10-40 years interval. After World War II, the Dengue Fever epidemic spread throughout the world. In 1945, Albert Sabine managed to isolate the virus that causes Dengue Fever and tried to create a vaccine that could prevent it. (Davis, Sierra.) |