Article

Treatments for dengue

2 minutes min read

There’s no cure for dengue, but it is possible to treat the symptoms.1 If you have mild symptoms, you can usually recover at home. Severe dengue should be treated in hospital.2

 

If you think you have dengue, the World Health Organization recommends: 

 

Do: 

 

Seek advice from your doctor who may recommend a test to check if it’s dengue

Drink plenty of water

Get as much rest as you can

Take acetaminophen or paracetamol to relieve fever, headache and body aches

 

Don't:

 

Ignore warning signs of severe dengue, such as stomach pain, vomiting and bleeding

Take aspirin or ibuprofen as these can cause bleeding

 

If you have mild dengue symptoms, you should start to feel better within a week.2

Try not to get bitten while you’re sick. If a mosquito bites you, it may go on to infect someone else.3

And remember, to continue taking precautions after you start to feel better because you can get dengue more than once.4

 

References

  1. National Health Service. Dengue. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dengue/. [Accessed August 2021]   

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms and Treatment. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/symptoms/index.html.[Accessed January 2022].  

  1. Scitable by Nature Education. Dengue Transmission. Available at: https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/dengue-transmission-22399758/. [Accessed August 2021]. 

  1. World Health Organization. Dengue and severe dengue. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue. [Accessed January 2022].