Dengue - Symptoms of dengue
- Introduction
- Symptoms of dengue
- Causes of dengue
- Treating dengue
- Complications of dengue
- Preventing dengue
- 'I wouldn't want to repeat the experience of having dengue'
- Diagnosis
Symptoms of dengue usually develop 4-10 days after being exposed to the dengue virus.
Symptoms of dengue in adults include a fever (high temperature) of 40C (104F) and at least two of the following symptoms:
- severe headache
- pain behind the eyes
- muscle and joint pain
- nausea or vomiting
- swollen glands
Young children may have a rash, along with a fever.
Symptoms usually pass within a week, but it can take several more weeks to make a full recovery. It's common to feel very tired when recovering from this type of infection.
When to seek medical advice
You should see your GP if you develop a fever or flu-like symptoms within two weeks of returning from an area where the dengue virus is common:
- South East Asia
- the Caribbean
- the Indian Subcontinent
- South and Central America
- Africa
- the Pacific Islands
- Australia
Alternatively, you can call NHS 111 for advice.
There is little your GP can do to speed up the infection's course, but it's important to get your condition diagnosed in case there's a more serious cause of your symptoms.
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