Recently, Bollywood veteran Yash Chopra passed about from the disease. Every newspaper in the country is reporting the rise in the number of cases of dengue. So what is dengue? How is it caused? And what can you do to protect yourself and your family? Watch this video to find out what the virus is and how you can keep yourself safe.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of dengue.
What is dengue?
Dengue refers to a tropical disease caused by four different types of virus. It is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito-bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It’s particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it’s caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills over five thousand Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons.
For more information you could also read: Dengue: All you need to know
You may also like to read:
For more articles on World Health Day topics, visit our World Health Day section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
Published: October 23, 2012 9:11 am | Updated:October 23, 2015 7:54 pm
