Sunday, August 8, 2010

DENGUE






             What is dengue fever ?


Dengue Fever and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (a more severe form) are the most common mosquito-borne viral diseases in the world. Dengue Fever is an illness caused by infection with a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There are four types of this virus (serotypes 1 to 4) which can infect you.
Dengue Fever is spread though the bite of the Aedes Mosquito


 


   Lifecycle of Aedes Mosquito





Fast facts about the mosquito
  • Only the female aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.
  • The mosquito becomes infective approximately 7 days after it has bitten a person carrying the virus. This is the extrinsic incubation period, during which time the virus replicates in the mosquito and reaches the salivary glands.
  • Peak biting is at dawn and dusk.
  • The average lifespan of an Aedes mosquito in Nature is 2 weeks
  • The mosquito can lay eggs about 3 times in its lifetime, and about 100 eggs are produced each time.
  • The eggs can lie dormant in dry conditions for up to about 9 months, after which they can hatch if exposed to favourable conditions, i.e. water and food

 




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