DENGUE FEVER

Course overview

DENGUE IS A MOSQUITO-TRANSMITTED VIRUS AND THE LEADING CAUSE OF ARTHROPOD-BORNE VIRAL DISEASE IN THE WORLD. IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS BREAKBONE FEVER DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF MUSCLE SPASMS AND JOINT PAIN, DANDY FEVER, OR SEVEN-DAY FEVER BECAUSE OF THE USUAL DURATION OF SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH MOST CASES ARE ASYMPTOMATIC, SEVERE ILLNESS AND DEATH MAY OCCUR. AEDES MOSQUITOES TRANSMIT THE VIRUS AND ARE COMMON IN TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL PARTS OF THE WORLD. THE INCIDENCE OF DENGUE HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES. THE INFECTION IS NOW ENDEMIC IN SOME PARTS OF THE WORLD. A FEW PEOPLE WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY INFECTED WITH ONE SUBSPECIES OF THE DENGUE VIRUS DEVELOP SEVERE CAPILLARY PERMEABILITY AND BLEEDING AFTER BEING INFECTED WITH ANOTHER SUBSPECIES OF THE VIRUS. THIS ILLNESS IS KNOWN AS DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF DENGUE FEVER, AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.