Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

2.1 Dengue Fever

Dengue fever, also called dengue, is a potentially serious disease caused by a virus. There are four
types of dengue virus that can cause illness in humans. Dengue viruses are transmitted between
humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

Dengue is rare in the U.S., but is common and a serious public health threat in warm sub-tropical
and tropical areas of the world. These include areas of Central and South America, Africa,
Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East, Australia, the Caribbean and the South and Central
Pacific. Dengue fever is most common in urban areas and outbreaks occur commonly during the
rainy season when mosquitoes breed heavily in standing water. The incidence of dengue fever is
on the rise worldwide, and in some areas of Asia, complications of the disease are a leading cause
of serious illness and death in children.Mosquitoes pick up a dengue virus when they bite a human
who is already infected with the virus. The mosquito then carries it in its own blood and spreads it
when it bites other humans.

After a dengue virus enters the human bloodstream, it spreads throughout the body. Symptoms appear
in about eight to ten days after a bite from an infected mosquito. Symptoms are flu-like and can include
high fever, nausea, vomiting, body aches, and headache. Most people can recover from dengue fever,
but some cases can progress into a life-threatening complication called dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Symptoms of this disease include severe, uncontrolled hemorrhage and shock. For more information on
symptoms, refer to symptoms of dengue fever. Making a diagnosis of dengue fever begins with taking a
thorough personal and family medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical
examination. Recent travel to sub-tropical or tropical areas of the world is an important clue that may
increase the suspicion of a diagnosis of dengue fever.

Diagnostic testing includes blood tests that check for a dengue virus or for antibodies that are
produced by the body to fight a dengue virus.
2.2 Symptoms

• High fever - Where a patient has an elevated temperature. See free access online books
about High fever below. In dengue fever it can be up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit
• Severe headache - A condition which is characterized by a severe headache.
• Retro-orbital pain - pain behind the eye
• Severe joint pains
• Muscle pains
• Muscle aches
• Swollen lymph nodes
• General weakness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Rash
• Children get non-typical symptoms
• Fever
• Weakness
• Prostration
• Severe muscle pain
• Slowed heart rate
• Enlarge lymph nodes
• Maculopapular rash -A rash that occurs on the skin that appears reddish with macula and
papules.
 2.3 Types

• DEN-1
• DEN-2
• DEN-3
• DEN-4

Dengue fever can be caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-
4. A person can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during a life span, but
only once by the same type.

• Dengue hemorrhagic fever

DHF is a more severe form of dengue. It can be fatal if unrecognized and not properly treated.

symptoms of DHF:

• Fever
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting

The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Dengue hemorrhagic
fever:

• 0% (5) of hospital consultant episodes were for dengue haemorrhagic fever in England
2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 100% of hospital consultant episodes for dengue haemorrhagic fever required hospital
admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England,
2002-03)
• 40% of hospital consultant episodes for dengue haemorrhagic fever were for men in
England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 60% of hospital consultant episodes for dengue haemorrhagic fever were for women in
England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
2.4 Causes

Mosquitoes - is a common insect in the family Culicidae (from the Latin culex meaning midge or gnat[3]).
Mosquitoes resemble crane flies (family Tipulidae) and chironomid flies (family Chironomidae), with which
they are sometimes confused by the casual observer.

Mosquitoes go through four stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. Adult females
lay their eggs in water, which can be a salt-marsh, a lake, a puddle, a natural reservoir on a plant, or an
artificial water container such as a plastic bucket. The first three stages are aquatic and last 5–14 days,
depending on the species and the ambient temperature; eggs hatch to become larvae, then pupae. The
adult mosquito emerges from the pupa as it floats at the water surface. Adult females can live up to a
month — more in captivity — but most probably do not live more than 1–2 weeks in nature.

Mosquitoes have mouthparts which are adapted for piercing the skin of plants and animals. They typically
feed on nectar and plant juices. In some species, the female needs to obtain nutrients from a "blood
meal" before she can produce eggs.

• Mosquito bites
• Tropical areas – such as forests, wastelands and places that are always moist and
watery.
• International travel – countries in which dengue carrying mosquitoes are often found.
2.5 Cures

• IV fluids
• Acetaminophen is a widely used over-the-counter analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic
(fever reducer). However, its effectiveness alone as an antipyretic has been questioned.[1] It is
commonly used for the relief of headaches, and other minor aches and pains, and is a major
ingredient in numerous cold and flu remedies. In combination with opioid analgesics,
paracetamol could be used also in the management of more severe pain (such as in advanced
cancer).

• Analgesics is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain. Analgesic drugs act
in various ways on the peripheral and central nervous systems; they include paracetamol (para-
acetylaminophenol, also known in the US as acetaminophen), the non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the salicylates, and opioid drugs such as morphine and
tramadol.

2.6 Prevention

Methods of prevention of Dengue fever mentioned in various sources includes those listed below.
This prevention information is gathered from various sources, and may be inaccurate or incomplete.
None of these methods guarantee prevention of Dengue fever.

• Avoid mosquito bites