6 Feb 2024 • "Doctors, you might be getting the most bizarre questions about Dengue fever from your patients and it is absolutely essential to bust the myths around this viral disease 🤷🏻‍♀️

Myth 1: Dengue is contagious 😷

There is only one way for the virus to spread: through the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito. No, dengue is not contagious because it does not spread by droplet infection, unlike covid. The rumor gained traction due to reports of family members or neighbors contracting the illness. The actual cause of this is that since the AA mosquito has a short range and any person nearby could be bitten by an infected mosquito 🦟

Myth 2: Aedes mosquito (dengue mosquito) bites only during the day 🌅

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are day feeders which means they venture out in the day-time to feed. This means, most cases of an AA bite happen in the day-time. However, there have been instances of people bitten in the evening or night and getting infected with Dengue.

Myth 3: Aedes mosquito bites people wearing dark clothes 🕴️

This is false. Heat and carbon dioxide attract the AA mosquito. Thus, high temperatures and obesity (due to increased perspiration) are among the risk factors. The idea that wearing dark clothing raises body temperature stems from the fact that dark colors absorb light more than light colors do.

Myth 4: You only get Dengue-infection once in a lifetime ⏳

The DENV virus comes in four strains. A person can become infected with DENV at any time due to a single strain, after which they become immune to that strain. But three additional strains have the potential to infect the same individual in the future. This implies that, under the assumption that newer strains of DENV will not emerge, a person can actually contract Dengue four times in their lifetime ✅

Would you like to learn more about the Diagnosis and Management of Dengue? Don’t worry!

🔗Click here to find out Dr. Tushar Shah’s take on Dengue, right here on Medflix 🤗"