What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue is a virus that is found in many tropical and sub-tropical countries and is passed by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The mosquito that transmits dengue fever tends to bite during the cooler times of the day, such as early morning and late afternoon. However, this mosquito may bite anytime during the day when indoors or during overcast weather. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, body aches, and sometimes bleeding. It is also called “breakbone fever” due to the muscle and joint pain. There is no vaccine available to Canadians, therefore insect precautions should be followed for prevention. Similar measures protect against other insect-carried infections.

Insect precautions:

• Cover skin with long sleeve shirts and pants. Consider treating outer clothing with permethrin product.
• Wear light or medium-coloured clothing and avoid scented soaps and deodorants.
• Apply insect repellent that contains either 30% DEET or 20% Icaridin, to exposed skin and clothing.
• Nets should be used over cots, playpens and strollers to protect infants.

Report symptoms:

• Present to an emergency department if you are acutely ill with fever after travel.
• For health information 24 hours a day, call 811 in Alberta for advice from Health Link.
• Inform your family doctor if you experience the symptoms above, up to 2 weeks after travel to a country with risk of dengue transmission.
• Contact us for a post-travel assessment at our Market Mall Executive Building location.