What should you know about dengue disease symptoms?

Most people with dengue notice a sudden febrile illness. A dengue illness can present with headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle aches, joint pain, chills, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, or a rash. Easy bruising or bleeding can occur and should not be dismissed. Symptoms can overlap with other infections, so a symptom list cannot confirm the cause.

The illness can change as the fever settles. A person may seem cooler yet develop abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding, marked weakness, restlessness, or drowsiness. Keep track of drinking, urination, and new symptoms, and tell a clinician about travel or mosquito exposure.

Rest and take frequent sips of water or oral rehydration fluid. Ask a pharmacist or clinician which fever medicine is suitable, particularly if you take other medicines or have a long-term condition. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen until advised. Reduce mosquito bites with clothing, screens, or repellent, and arrange medical assessment if dengue is possible.

Get urgent care for severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding from the gums or nose, blood in vomit or stool, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, unusual sleepiness, cold clammy skin, or very little urine. Seek prompt advice if a child, pregnant person, older adult, or person with another medical condition is becoming unwell.

Ask whether your symptoms fit dengue, whether testing is needed, how to maintain fluids, which warning signs to watch for, and when you should be reviewed.