Health Topic

Dengue

Dengue is an infection caused by a virus. You can get it if an infected mosquito bites you. Learn more about risk and prevention.

Reviewed Reviewed by a registered pharmacistGeneral information

Also called: Break-bone fever · Dengue fever

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Dengue

Dengue is a viral infection. It can be caused by four related viruses. You can get it if an infected mosquito bites you. It is common in warm, wet areas of the world. Although rare, it can be found in some parts of the United States. Outbreaks are more common during rainy seasons.

Dengue spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. It does not spread directly from person to person. However, the infection can be passed to the baby during pregnancy. In rare cases, it can spread through a blood transfusion, organ transplant, or needle stick injury (an accidental injury from a used needle)..

About one in four people infected with dengue will get sick. For those who do get sick, the infection can be mild or severe. The symptoms of dengue include:

  • A high fever
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Rash
  • Aches and pains (eye pain, usually behind the eyes, and pain in the muscles, joints, or bones)

The symptoms usually last two to seven days.

Severe dengue is a serious form of the illness. About 1 in 20 people who get sick with dengue will develop severe dengue. It can cause shock, internal bleeding, and even death. People are more likely to develop severe dengue if they have had dengue before, are pregnant, or are infants.

Watch for signs and symptoms of severe dengue. Warning signs usually begin about 24 - 48 hours after your fever has gone away. If you or your family member have these signs, get immediate medical care:

  • Severe abdominal (belly) pain and tenderness
  • Vomiting at least 3 times in 24 hours
  • Bleeding from the nose or gums
  • Vomiting blood, or blood in the stool (poop)
  • Feeling tired, restless, or irritable

There is a blood test which can show if you have been infected with dengue.

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue. Most people will get better after about a week. But if you think you might have dengue:

  • See a health care provider and mention any recent travel.
  • Rest as much as possible.
  • Take acetaminophen to control fever and relieve pain. But do not take aspirin or ibuprofen.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Severe dengue often requires care at a hospital.

In the United States, a dengue vaccine is approved for children who are ages 9 - 16. They must also have previously had dengue and live in areas where dengue is common.

You can also help prevent dengue by avoiding mosquito bites:

  • Wear insect repellent with DEET or another U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellent. Make sure to follow the instructions for using the repellant.
  • Wear clothes that cover your arms, legs and feet.
  • Close unscreened doors and windows.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

It sits within Infections.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Dengue

317 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

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Symptoms

Diagnosis and Tests

Prevention and Risk Factors

Related Issues

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Dengue. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Dengue, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.