By :- VOH Team
16 May 2024
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. The virus responsible for causing dengue, is called Dengue virus (DENV). There are four DENV serotypes, meaning that it is possible to be infected four times. Dengue cases in India have been on the rise in recent years. The country experiences seasonal outbreaks, typically during the monsoon season when there is an increase in mosquito breeding. According to the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), India reported over 1.6 lakh cases of dengue in 2019. However, the actual number of cases could be higher due to underreporting and misdiagnosis.
Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death in some Asian and Latin American countries. It requires management by medical professionals. Early diagnosis can help prevent severe complications, such as:
- Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF): A severe form of dengue that causes bleeding, organ failure, and even death.
- Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS): A life-threatening condition that leads to shock, organ failure, and death.
There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue. Early detection of disease progression associated with severe dengue and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1%.
Transmission:
Signs and Symptoms:
Dengue fever symptoms usually manifest 4-10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Dengue should be suspected when a high fever (40°C/104°F) is accompanied by 2 of the following symptoms during the febrile phase:
Dengue duo rapid screening test - Test utility:
Early and rapid confirmation of dengue infections strengthens disease surveillance program and are critical to the success of vector control measures. Rapid diagnostics tests (RDTs) are increasingly used to confirm recent dengue infections due to their ease of use and short turnaround time for results.
Who should get tested:
A person who gets persistent and high-grade fever for four to five days, he/she must get tested. They may also get tested when they have weakness, signs of bleeding, dizziness or fall in blood pressure.
A person with fever and dengue cases in their vicinity must also get tested for dengue.
Interpretation:
Early detection of dengue from Day 1 – 9 after onset of clinical symptoms.
Confirmed diagnosis of Dengue fever can be established in a suspected case with atleast one of the following tests:
1) Demonstration of NS1 antigen by ELISA
2) Demonstration of IgM antibody titre by ELISA in single serum sample,
3) IgG seroconversion in paired sera after 2 weeks with 4-fold rise in titre
4) Demonstration of viral nucleic acid by PCR
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