To know if it is dengue, it is important to be aware of the symptoms that usually appear 4 to 7 days after a mosquito bite, and that they start with a fever above 38º C, but after a few hours it can be accompanied by:
- Severe headache;
- Pain in the back of the eyes;
- Difficulty in moving the joints;
- Muscle pain throughout the body;
- Dizziness, nausea and vomiting;
- Red tingling of the body with or without itching
Thus, if a fever occurs with two or more symptoms of the above, it is recommended to go to the emergency room to diagnose the problem and start the appropriate treatment. See how the treatment is done in: Treatment of dengue.
In the case of hemorrhagic dengue, symptoms may also include excessive bleeding, which usually manifests as red spots on the skin, bruising and frequent bleeding from the nose or gums, for example.
So, as soon as the first symptoms appear it is very important to go to the doctor, because in the most severe cases dengue can even cause other diseases that can affect the liver and heart. Learn what sequelae is that dengue can cause in 5 diseases that can be caused by dengue.
In addition, the risk of dengue is higher during the summer and in humid regions due to the ease of development of the dengue mosquito, also known as Aedes Aegypti. Here's how to fight the mosquito in: How to identify the dengue mosquito.
Examination to identify dengue fever
The most commonly used test to identify dengue is the blood test that evaluates the presence of antibodies to dengue in the body, and when it is positive indicates that you are infected by the virus.
However, in many cases the doctor can diagnose the disease only by observing the symptoms and start treatment before the results of this examination, which take about 1 week to be ready.
Quick test to diagnose dengue
The rapid test to identify dengue is being increasingly used to diagnose possible cases of virus infection, as it takes less than 20 minutes to identify if the virus is present in the body and for how long. That way, you can start treatment faster.
However, the rapid test also does not identify the presence of other Dengue mosquito-borne diseases, such as Zika or Chikungunya, so your doctor can order a normal blood test to see if you are also infected with these viruses.
The rapid test is free and can be done at the health post in Brazil by anyone at any time, as it is not necessary to fast.
The best way to avoid dengue is to protect yourself. So here's how to ensure your protection:
How to protect yourself from dengue.
