Can you catch dengue twice? Doctors say ‘yes’

Dengue treatment
Dengue reinfection may occur, but by different types of viruses and it can turn serious too.

It is a common misconception that dengue reinfection is not possible and that you will get lifelong immunity if infected once. However, the truth is that not only can you be infected twice but it could be pretty dangerous too. There are four types of dengue viruses: DENV – 1, DENV – 2, DENV – 3 and DENV – 4. If infected with a type of virus, it is unlikely that you may get infected again with the same type of virus. So, there is a chance that you may be infected by the other virus types. Moreover, the reinfection could be serious too.

Dengue fever could affect you as a common fever accompanied by severe headache, muscle pain, joint pain, discomfort and pain in the eyes, spots on the skin and vomiting. Or it could get severe and dangerous that destroys the vital organs in your body. In such cases, it could lead to bleeding and death. Severe stomach ache, vomiting, suffocation, bleeding in the mouth, severe exhaustion and spotting blood in vomit are some of the symptoms of this.

Spots where water gets stored like the fridge tray, ponds and pots are the breeding ground of the Aedes mosquito that spreads dengue. They lay eggs in water bodies and unclean water sources. Cleaning your surroundings at least once in a week is the best way to destroy the eggs of the Aedes mosquitoes. Sleeping under mosquito nets too is an effective method. Even though vaccine has been discovered against dengue, it isn’t really popular.

It is better to prevent dengue infection rather than seek treatment after getting infected.

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