How long is dengue infectious?

Dengue virus circulates in the blood around the time symptoms begin, allowing a biting mosquito to acquire it. The mosquito can then pass the virus to another person after the virus develops inside it. Dengue is not normally spread by sitting near someone, sharing food, or ordinary household contact. A person with dengue may have fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, or joint pain. A clinician can explain the likely infectious window from the illness timeline and test results.

During suspected or confirmed illness, prevent mosquito bites by using screens, nets, long sleeves, and an age-appropriate repellent. Remove standing water around the home where mosquitoes can breed. Follow local public-health advice and tell the treating clinician about household members with fever. Arrange a GP Consultation if the diagnosis or timing is unclear. Protecting the patient from bites matters even when they feel better, because symptoms and infectiousness do not always change at exactly the same time.

Urgent care is needed for severe abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, marked sleepiness, cold or clammy skin, or inability to drink. Seek advice promptly if fever is accompanied by easy bruising or a rapid decline. These warning signs concern the person's health, not whether they can transmit dengue. Call emergency services for collapse or difficulty waking.

Ask how long bite protection should continue, which repellent is suitable for children or pregnancy, how to protect a sleeping patient, and what to do if another household member develops fever.