What should you know about dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever?

Dengue often begins with a sudden fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, joint pain, and muscle aches. Some people also develop nausea or a rash. The more severe illness sometimes called dengue haemorrhagic fever can involve bleeding, falling blood pressure, or fluid moving out of blood vessels. Warning signs may appear as the fever settles, so feeling cooler does not always mean the danger has passed.

Easy bruising, bleeding from the nose or gums, vomiting blood, black stools, severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, unusual sleepiness, or breathing difficulty need prompt assessment. A dengue infection can resemble other illnesses, so symptoms alone cannot confirm the diagnosis.

Rest and drink frequent small amounts of water or an oral rehydration drink. Use only medicines recommended by a clinician; avoid aspirin and ibuprofen unless a clinician specifically advises them because they can increase bleeding risk. Keep mosquitoes from biting you while you are unwell by using repellent, covering exposed skin, and resting behind screens or under a net. Arrange a GP Consultation for advice about testing, monitoring, and safe symptom relief.

Seek urgent medical care for any bleeding, severe or persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, faintness, confusion, cold or clammy skin, very little urine, or trouble breathing. Children, pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with significant medical conditions may need earlier review. Do not wait for bleeding to become heavy.

Ask whether your symptoms and travel or mosquito exposure warrant dengue testing, which pain reliever is suitable, how often you should drink and urinate, and which warning signs should send you to an emergency department.