Dengue fever (UK: /ˈdɛŋɡeɪ/, US: /ˈdɛŋɡiː/), also known as breakbone fever, is an acute febrile infectious disease caused by the dengue virus. Typical symptoms include headache, a characteristic skin rash, and muscle and joint pains; in a small proportion the disease progresses to life-threatening complications such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (which may lead to severe hemorrhage) and dengue shock syndrome (where a very low blood pressure can cause organ dysfunction).
Dengue is usually transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, and rarely Aedes albopictus. The virus exists in four different types, and an infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. There is currently no available vaccine, but measures to reduce the habitat and the number of mosquitoes, and limiting exposure to bites, are used to decrease the incidence of dengue.
Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusions for more severe cases. The rate of infection has increased dramatically over the last 50 years, with around 50–100 million people being infected yearly. A global disease, dengue is currently endemic in more than 110 countries. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were elucidated in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a worldwide problem since the Second World War.
