Monday, April 29, 2013

Dengue Fever

 As summer is approaching, with the temperature on the rise we begin to see more insects appearing. Mosquitoes are one of many insects we want to stay away from,  as one bite can cause our skin surface to become extremely itchy. Even though it may last for a week and disappear.
But, did you know some mosquito bites can transmit viral particles into your blood stream and cause a disease such as:
Yellow fever, West Nile, Japanese Enecephalitis, or Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a viral disease and has recently caused the most deaths worldwide than any other arbovirus. This virus is a ssRNA with a positive sense of 5'-3' can directly translate into the dengue viruses. The dengue virus can trigger one of four different serotypes, which are closely related (Figure 1 illustrates the movement of serotypes over the years).


With over 2,600 species of mosquitoes worldwide, only two species of mosquitoes can transmit the dengue virus: Aedes aegypti and albopictus. Once, the dengue virus has completely replicated an onset of symptoms occurs. Which can be fatal if not treated in a timely manner. Symptoms commonly seen are: flu-like symptoms, rashes, internal bleeding, organ failure, and much more. Therefore, patients must primarily undergo symptomatic treatments in order to maintain their fluids and imbalanced white blood cells.
Now for prevention, currently there are no vaccines for Dengue fever. Therefore, simple preventative steps should be followed in prevalent areas for this disease.
Simple steps include:  
1) remove standing water
2) use insect repellent
3) wear clothing covering most parts of the body

Summer mosquito season is coming up, those mosquitoes are going start biting us humans. Although, most likely you would not catch the dengue virus on the northeast coast of the United States. But cases of west nile, have been recorded in areas of the northeast. So, for safety precautions before leaving the house do not forgot to spray insect repellent!

No comments:

Post a Comment