June to October is peak dengue season in Singapore. The warmer months offer the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos to thrive, particularly in areas of dense jungle or around stagnant water. Despite a national dengue campaign to clean up residential areas and other potential breeding sites, cases of dengue fever are on the rise.
Dengue fever is a disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. There are 4 dengue viruses and each one acts independently. If you are infected by 1 type and develop immunity, it’s still possible to become infected by the other 3 strains during your lifetime. Approximately 400 million cases of dengue fever occur worldwide every year, mainly in tropical climates where mosquitos thrive.
When a mosquito bites an infected person, they can spread that infection to others each time they bite someone. Dengue fever can’t be passed from person to person directly.
Symptoms of dengue fever usually show up within the first week or so of being infected. The symptoms are often mild, but the disease can cause:
- A sudden, very high fever
- A skin rash, which usually shows up after the fever occurs
- Severe headache
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain behind your eyes
- Joint and muscle pain, or spasms
- Bleeding from your nose or gums
- Bruising
- Convulsions
read more
