Anyone living in Jeddah knows something about dengue fever. It is even possible that you may have contracted the disease without even knowing it. First time infections can be easily mistaken for other common illnesses such as the common flu. Dr. Alaa' Hassan, Professor of Community Medicine and Epidemiology at Ibn Sina Medical College in Jeddah, said that dengue fever is common in east Asian countries and other regions with tropical or semitropical climates where heavy rains provide an excellent breeding ground for the disease's carrier, the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito. Dr. Alaa' explained that the mosquito breeds in small and polluted ponds formed by stagnant water that may gather from sewage leaks or air conditioners, the genesis for its growth as a major health issue in Jeddah. Dr. Alaa' also said that attempts to eradicate mosquito-borne infections such as malaria and dengue fever have been undertaken in various parts of the world, employing residual insecticides that are sprayed in the environment and left to reside in the water. Other methods involve sterilizing male mosquitoes and releasing them in order to interrupt the mosquitos' reproduction cycle. “None of these attempts has been completely successful due to various factors,” Dr. Alaa' said. Patients might suffer from the disease when infected with one of the four virus strains that cause dengue fever, says Dr. Alaa', adding that there are also four different manifestations of the disease. The least significant type of the disease is atypical dengue fever, which appears as a regular fever associated with headaches and symptoms that are very similar to flu or common colds. A typical dengue fever is the type that most patients develop when first acquiring the infection. Later infections can prove to be more serious. A recurrent infection might result in a condition known as “classical dengue fever”, which prompts a very high fever, skin rash and intense pain in muscles and bones. This last symptom is why dengue fever is also known as break bone fever in Asian countries. The patient's status might deteriorate into what is known as “hemorrhagic dengue fever”, in which a rash can be seen as small red dots on the skin that result in the rupturing of small blood vessels and capillaries in the patient's body in addition to other signs of hemorrhage. In some cases nose bleeds can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The fourth stage, which might be lethal in some cases, is “Dengue Shock” syndrome. In this stage the patient goes into shock as a result of the extensive hemorrhaging. The bad news is that patients that acquire a mild infection can easily progress to the more severe stages with recurrent infections, since our bodies become relatively immune to what they already had,” says Dr. Alaa'. As for protection, Dr, Alaa recommends extra caution during the last months of spring, since this period is considered to be the active period of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, adding that morning hours are usually this mosquito's feeding hours. __
