LET US ASCEND THE WALL AGAINST DENGUE (THE DISEASE OF POVERTY)

The origin of the word dengue is not clear. It is believed “Cramp like seizure caused by an evil spirit”. In Spanish, dengue was said to have the posture and gait of a dandy, and the disease was known as ”Dandy Fever”. Benjamin Rush, Coined the term "Break bone fever" because of the symptoms of myalgia and arthralgia. 260 peer-reviewed articles referred to dengue as "Poor man's disease. It is a severe life-threatening disease. “Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection caused by a flavivirus. Dengue fever is continuous or "saddleback" with a break on 4th or 5th day and then recrudescence; usually lasts 7-8 days  Classical dengue fever is characterized by the onset of fever, malaise, headache, facial flushing, retrobulbar pain that worsens on eye movements, conjunctive suffusion and severe back ace, which is a prominent symptom. Lymphadenopathy, petechial on the soft palate and transient morbilliform skin rashes may also appear on the limbs with subsequent spread to involve the trunk Desquamation occurs. Cough is uncommon. Dengue fever syndrome is characterized by capillary leak syndrome, thrombocytopenia, hemorrhage, hypotension, and shock. It is characteristically a disease of children occurring most commonly in South-East Asia.  Over 100 million cases occur every year in the tropics with over 10,000 deaths from dengue hemorrhagic fever. Previously, dengue was seen in small children and DHF/DSS in children 2-15 years old, and most frequently in those 16-45 years of age or older in whom severe organ dysfunction is more common. Other epidemiological changes include the spread of dengue into rural communities and greater case fatality in women. Like malaria epidemic, dengue fever epidemics depend on temperature. Dengue and chicken guinea are two important viruses causing febrile illness syndrome.