Classification: Dengue fever (DF): ICD-9 061, ICD-10 A90; Dengue hemorrhagic fever/Dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS): ICD-9 065.4; ICD-10 A91.
Synonyms: Breakbone fever.
Agent: Dengue virus (DENV) is an enveloped RNA virus, genus Flavivirus in the family Flaviviridae. There are four antigenically related, but distinct, dengue virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), all of which can cause DF/DHF.
Reservoir: Humans; forest monkeys in West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Vector: Most commonly, the urban container-breeding, day-biting mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus; in Polynesia, Ae. scutellaris complex spp.; in Malaysia, Ae. nivaeus complex spp., in West Africa, Ae. furcifer-taylori complex spp., and recently in Europe by Ae. albopictus (see Aedes map).
Transmission: By mosquito bite.
Cycle: Human–mosquito–human around housing; monkey–mosquito–monkey and monkey–mosquito–human in the forests of West Africa and Malaysia. Human viremia lasts 3–5 days since onset of symptoms; the mosquito can transmit 8–12 days after taking a viremic blood meal, depending on the ambient temperature.
Incubation period