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WiRED Releases Updated Module on Dengue Fever
BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN
T
he World Health Organization estimates that as many as 400 million dengue infections occur each year globally.
WiRED International recently ran a Web story about a Rapid Response module it developed for the Zika virus, which is linked to microcephaly, a serious brain malformation which is on the rise in Brazil.
Dengue symptoms are often confused with those of Zika. In addition to the Zika module, WiRED just released an updated module on dengue to help health care professionals understand the clinical details of this threatening illness.
Dengue fever, like Chagas disease, chikungunya and Zika, is an infectious sickness that is spread by mosquitoes. Dengue is caused by four related viruses that are present in a particular species of mosquito called Aedes aegypti. These mosquitoes thrive in and near human habitation, where they can breed even in the cleanest water.
Dengue symptoms include a high fever and sometimes severe joint and muscle pain, leading to the term “breakbone fever.” Most people with dengue recover within five to 14 days, but serious cases can cause bleeding, shock and even death. There are no specific remedies for dengue, so treatment involves alleviating symptoms through the use of fluids and pain medications. Since there is no vaccine for dengue, prevention requires avoiding mosquito bites.
Resources
WiRED’s Dengue module, designed for health care professionals, provides information on dengue fever as well as on dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. The module covers diagnosis, treatments and methods of prevention and also offers quizzes to reinforce learning. WiRED plans to release an Express module on dengue in the near future.
The increase of tropical diseases such as dengue and Zika has been covered in recent stories in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. WiRED will continue to track the spread of these diseases as health authorities react to the growing numbers of cases spreading rapidly into the Northern Hemisphere.
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