Dengue Virus is the predominant arbovirus affecting humans [1]. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates approximately 40% of the global population are at risk of contracting the disease. The virus comprises four types: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4 [1, 2, 3]. Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding (e.g., nose or gums bleed, easy bruising). Dengue virus is transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in tropical and sub-tropical regions and this highly anthropophilic (prefers human hosts) species has meant dengue has spread rapidly [1, 3]. Symptoms of the virus begin 4-7 days after mosquito bite and typically last for 3-10 days after onset of symptoms. The period that the virus requires to replicate in the mosquito (Extrinsic Incubation Period) is 2-15 days at 30°C. Importantly, the mosquito remains infected for its lifetime and is therefore infective (4 - http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0050972).
- Bhatt S, Gething PW, Brady OJ, Messina JP, Farlow AW, Moyes CL, Drake JM, Brownstein JS, Hoen AG, Sankoh O, Myers MF. The global distribution and burden of dengue. Nature. 2013 Apr;496(7446):504. https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/11878919/3651993.pdf?sequence=1
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dengue: Epidemiology. 2019 Available at https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/index.html
- World Health Organisation. Dengue and Severe Dengue Factsheet. 2019 Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/
- Chan M, Johansson MA. The incubation periods of dengue viruses. PloS one. 2012 Nov 30;7(11):e50972. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0050972