[Curiosities] Dengue: know five curiosities about the disease

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According to the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin, 2023 records one of the worst outbreaks in Argentina. How the Aedes aegypti mosquito behaves.

In recent weeks, all the attention has been focused on dengue because 2023 is seeing a record number of cases and deaths in Argentina. There are already 44 people who have died as a result of the disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The number of infections amounts to more than 54,000.

We know about the vector that it is a kind of mosquito with characteristics that differentiate it from the rest. For example, their reproduction cycle has, first, an aerial or terrestrial stage, and then an aquatic one. That is to say, the Aedes aegypti deposits its eggs on the surface of the water, leaving them on a rough wall, like those of any container that accumulates water or the hollow of a tree.

Another important fact is that although in winter there may be no presence of adult mosquitoes, the eggs remain in the containers. That is, the eggs remain viable until conditions favor hatching. This happens from 10 and 12 degrees. Next, other curiosities about the disease.

 

1- Dengue can leave sequelae of graves
The pediatrician, Ángel Muratore, explained to El Liberal that neurological, digestive (especially hepatic), respiratory and cardiac sequelae can appear that can persist after the infection.

"Serious forms or those that leave sequelae are usually the product of infections from new bites, which magnificently prevents suffering from a condition. Dengue can cause hepatitis and/or liver failure," the specialist explained.

2- Dengue: it is key to be attentive when the fever drops
A person with dengue can have a fever for two to seven days. And you have to be alert to the symptoms that appeared in the 48 hours after the drop in temperature. Not having a fever is not synonymous with having overcome the disease.

In this short period of drop in body temperature, dengue hemorrhagic fever develops, which has more severe symptoms such as: intense abdominal pain, constant vomiting, bleeding from the gums or nose, blood in the urine, feces or vomit, bleeding under the of the skin (which may look like a bruise), shortness of breath or rapid breathing, cold or clammy skin, fatigue, irritability, or restlessness.

3- A person with dengue can be asymptomatic
Dengue infection can be asymptomatic, or present with symptoms ranging from mild to disabling high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rashes.

Studies conducted at Emory University in Atlanta, United States, revealed how the risk of a massive contagion increases if three conditions occur: a massive event, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and asymptomatic people with dengue.

4- The mosquito bites during the day and also at night

The biologist Manuel Espinosa explained that it shows more activity when the sun begins to rise until before noon, that is, from 6 to 11. Then it does not disappear but remains less active until the afternoon hours arrive. At sunset, the mosquito gains momentum again between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. As night falls, its resting period begins.

 

The specialist also points out that although daylight hours are more favorable for the mosquito to bite, in closed spaces, such as houses or apartments with lights on, it can also bite. This happens because "it can be stimulated by the smells of people and the light, so if a mosquito needs to feed, it will do so," he added.

5- The eggs of the Aedes aegypti mosquito survive the winter
The mosquito that transmits dengue is not only active in summer, so the arrival of autumn temperatures and cooler days are not a relief for the multiplication of cases.

“Although during the cold months adult mosquitoes reduce their activity, if they are inside a house they benefit from the temperature inside. Only at very low temperatures do the adults die but the eggs are capable of surviving through the winter”, explains the Ministry of Health of the Nation.

Studies carried out by Conicet researchers also verified that Aedes aegypti eggs are capable of surviving up to a year without water and also resist low temperatures.

 

Link: https://www.lagaceta.com.ar/nota/988286/sociedad/dengue-conoce-cinco-curiosidades-sobre-enfermedad.html