The risk of contracting dengue fever varies depending on the season, but is basically highest during the rainy season. If flooding occurs, the brackish water is left in countless puddles, providing ideal breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that transmit the virus. Dengue fever occurs in more than 100 tropical and subtropical countries outside Europe.
The World Health Organization estimates the number of cases worldwide at about 50 million annually. Several hundred thousand cases are in the severe, hemorrhagic (bloody) form, which kills about 20,000 people each year. The disease, against which there is still no approved vaccination in Germany, is caused by the dengue virus from the genus Flavivirus and is transmitted by mosquitoes.
Flu or dengue?
The symptoms of classic dengue fever are similar to those of influenza: a sudden rise in fever to 40 °C with chills, severe headache and aching limbs. A rash on the skin, spread over the whole body except the face, is also possible. Because the illness breaks out 3 to 14 days after infection, travelers who experience flu-like symptoms after returning from vacation should seek medical attention immediately.
Within the first 3 to 7 days of illness, the virus itself can be detected, after which specific antibodies can be detected in the blood. In addition to the classic form of dengue fever, there is also an atypical form that is somewhat milder and lasts a maximum of 72 hours.
