Dengue fever is a serious infection caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by the bites of infected mosquitoes. The illness occurs in two forms: dengue fever, a severe flu-like illness that affects older children and adults, which is rarely fatal, and a more severe form, the potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever, which mainly affects children under 15 years of age.14-16
Transmission14,15 Mosquitoes transmit dengue fever to humans. They bite on multiple occasions, and are most active during the day (especially in the early morning and late afternoon) and are often present indoors. There is no direct person-to-person transmission.
Geographical distribution Dengue is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America and South/Southeast Asia and in the Pacific. It also occurs in Africa . Dengue is predominantly in urban centres, and is rarely found at altitudes above 600 m (2,000 ft).14 In Australia , cases of dengue fever have occurred occasionally in North Queensland and in the islands of the Torres Strait.16