Do I Have Dengue Fever?

Do you have a high fever (104F or 40C)?

Do you have severe headache?

Do you have pain behind your eyes?

Do you have pain in your joints, muscles and/or bones?

Do you have a rash over most of your body?

Do you have a mild bleeding from the nose or gums?

Do you bruise easily?

Do you have nausea or vomiting?

Do you have abdominal pain?

Do you vomit blood or have blood in your stool?

Have you traveled in the areas with a risk of dengue in the past month (Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Islands)?

Were you bitten by mosquitoes while traveling?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have dengue. Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the dengue virus. The dengue virus is spread by the same type of mosquito that also spreads Zika and chikungunya virus. Dengue is common in 100 countries worldwide, and approximately 3 billion people live in high-risk areas for dengue. There are four types of the dengue virus. A person infected with one type of the virus will acquire lifelong immunity only for that specific type. For that reason, the same person can be infected with the dengue virus as many as four times during life.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have dengue. Dengue is a tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. The virus spreads among people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. A pregnant woman infected with the dengue virus can transmit it to her child during pregnancy. Every fourth person infected with dengue will get sick and develop symptoms. The symptoms appear within 14 days of exposure, and they can range from mild to severe. Almost all reported cases of dengue in the United States were in travelers infected abroad. Diagnosing dengue is based on blood tests and your recent travel history.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have dengue. Dengue is a viral infection, common in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.