Dengue
Search and destroy. Hydrate and watch.
How you get it
- The Aedes aegypti mosquito — a daytime biter — spreads the dengue virus.
- It breeds in clean, standing water: tires, flower vases, gutters, water drums.
- Infections occur all year but surge during and after the rainy season (June–November).
Typical symptoms
- Sudden high fever, severe headache and pain behind the eyes.
- Severe muscle and joint pain — hence the old name 'break-bone fever'.
- Nausea, vomiting and a skin rash appearing a few days in.
- Mild bleeding such as nosebleeds or gum bleeding.
Caring for it at home
- Paracetamol for fever — never aspirin or ibuprofen, which raise bleeding risk.
- Drink plenty of fluids: water, oral rehydration solution, soup, juice.
- Rest and monitor for a full week; fever often falls by day 3–5, but that is when danger can start.
Prevention: search and destroy
- Empty, cover or overturn anything holding water at least weekly.
- Use mosquito repellent, screens and long sleeves during daytime hours.
- Community clean-up drives matter — mosquitoes fly only about 100 metres from where they hatch.
Seek medical help urgently if
- Severe abdominal pain or persistent vomiting
- Bleeding from gums or nose, or black, tarry stool
- Restlessness, cold clammy skin, or no urine for 6–8 hours
- Fever falling but the person getting weaker — go to hospital immediately
General information only — not a substitute for medical advice.