Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes.

It is
an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with symptoms such as
headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy),
and rash. The presence (the "dengue triad") of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is
particularly characteristic of dengue. Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, severe
pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles.

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Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue
viruses. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Symptoms appear 3—14 days
after the infective bite. Dengue fever is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and
adults.

Symptoms range from a mild fever, to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain
behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash. There are no specific antiviral medicines for
dengue. It is important to maintain hydration. Use of acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. aspirin) and non
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. Ibuprofen) is not recommended.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding) is a potentially lethal
complication, affecting mainly children. Early clinical diagnosis and careful clinical management
by experienced physicians and nurses increase survival of patients.

Incidence Rate

The Department of Health (DOH) said trends have changed and dengue is no longer
just a "rainy season disease" as cases are being reported nationwide throughout the
year.

"It's not just concentrated in NCR. In fact, it's all over the country," DOH Head
Executive Assistant Dr. Yolanda Oliveros said, adding that the DOH is closely
watching the dengue fatality rate to make sure it does not double in the coming
months.

Oliveros said the dengue Case Fatality Rate (CFR) should not be higher than one
percent of the total number of dengue cases.

The CFR has now reached 328 or .8 percent of the total number of dengue cases in
the country which stands at 40,648 as of July 31 this year.

Highest number of dengue cases

During the first seven months of this year, when the country's highest number of
dengue cases has been recorded, six regions have already recorded death rates
that are higher than one percent: Regions I, II, IV-B, VII, X and Autonomous Region
of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
In the National Capital Region (NCR), five municipalities have CFRs that are higher
than one percent: Marikina, Navotas, Quezon City, Taguig, and Valenzuela.

Quezon City, which has the most number of fatalities at 10, has a CFR of 1.3
percent. Valenzuela has the highest CFR at 1.8 percent: out of 221 dengue cases in
the area, four patients have died of the disease.