Dengue Fever
This unpleasant virus is spread through mosquito bites; it’s usually mild but it can be fatal. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea and a red rash.
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Key Facts around Dengue Fever
Between 100 and 400 million people are infected with dengue fever every year.1
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How do people catch this disease?
When they’re bitten by infected mosquitoes which carry the virus.1
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Which countries are affected?
Most parts of Central and South America and some African and Asian countries (see map).2
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What are the symptoms?
A very high temperature (more than 40°C) with a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash.1,4
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How serious is the disease?
In most cases, dengue is mild and people show symptoms up to around a week, but in rare cases it can be life-threatening. In severe cases, fluid accumulates in the lungs causing breathing problems. Dengue can also cause bleeding and organ impairment.1
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Can I reduce the chances of catching Dengue Fever?
You can take the following precautions to help reduce your risk of infection:
- Visit a travel health clinic to assess the risks of the planned trip and get advice about available vaccinations and further precautions.
Click here to find your nearest travel health clinic and make an appointment: https://www.reisemedizincheck.at/en/find-a-travel-health-service - Use bed nets, as they provide essential protection to travelers staying in accommodations lacking adequate window screens.3
- Use a recommended insect repellent containing either Icaridin or DEET.3
- Wear appropriate clothing (e.g long-sleeved clothes and long trousers)3
- Visit a travel health clinic to assess the risks of the planned trip and get advice about available vaccinations and further precautions.
- World Health Organization. Factsheet. Dengue and severe dengue. January 2022. Available online: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue#%20(Last accessed October 2022)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow Book 2020. Chapter 4 . Available online: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/travel-related-infectious-diseases/dengue (Last accessed October 2022)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yellow Book 2020. Chapter 3 Environmental Hazards & Other Noninfectious Health Risks. Mosquitoes, Ticks, & Other Arthropods. Available online: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/noninfectious-health-risks/mosquitoes-ticks-and-other-arthropods (Last accessed October 2022)
- Gesundheit.GV.AT. Dengue-Fieber. Available online: https://www.gesundheit.gv.at/leben/gesundheitsvorsorge/reisemedizin/infektionskrankheiten/dengue-fieber (Last accessed October 2022)
AT-TB-2300021
03-March-2023