Quick Facts
Dengue
- Dengue is an illness caused when bitten by a dengue infected mosquito, typically found in tropic and subtropic regions, including the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), the Caribbean, South and Central America, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, and Northeastern Australia.
- Infection can range from asymptomatic to mild or severe illness. The illness generally presents as a high fever 4-7 days after infection followed by a red, flat rash covering the entire body often occurs 2-5 days after the fever begins. A second “measles-like” rash may also appear on the skin. Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache mainly behind the eyes, cough, swollen lymph nodes, nasal congestion, and sore throat.
- Severe dengue is more commonly seen in individuals who are infected a second time with symptoms that include stomach pain and tenderness, vomiting three or more times in 24 hours, bleeding from the gums or nose, vomiting of blood or blood in the stool or urine, fatigue, difficulty breathing, bleeding under the skin, irritability, or restlessness. These symptoms generally appear 24-48 hours after the fever has subsided. Severe dengue can lead to death, often from a rapid decrease in blood pressure that results in shock. Between 2010 and 2021, less than one percent of all travel-associated dengue cases among U.S. travelers resulted in death.
- Approximately 25 percent of individuals exposed to dengue will develop symptoms and most people who become sick will recover within one week. Only 5 percent of symptomatic dengue cases will develop severe illness.
- There is no specific treatment for dengue. Ensuring adequate hydration and fluids is recommended. Acetaminophen and tepid baths are recommended to reduce fevers associated with dengue. Persons infected with dengue should watch for warning signs of severe dengue and seek prompt medical attention if necessary.
Dengue Vaccine
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved DENGVAXIA for use in children and adolescents ages six through 16 years with a laboratory confirmed history of previous dengue infection and living in a dengue endemic area. DENGVAXIA is a live tetravalent vaccine targeting dengue serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends DENGVAXIA vaccine for use in children aged nine through 16 years with a laboratory confirmed history of past dengue infection living in dengue endemic U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States.
- DENGVAXIA is not approved for individuals with no prior history of dengue infection or where the history of previous infection is unknown. The vaccine has been linked to severe dengue infection, dengue associated hospitalization, and death in individuals whose dengue infection status before vaccination was unknown, and who developed dengue after vaccination.
- The most commonly reported adverse reactions following vaccination with DENGVAXIA included headache, injection site pain, generalized discomfort (malaise), lack of energy, and muscle pain. Additional reported adverse reactions included abdominal pain, vomiting, shortness of breath, generalized redness of the skin (erythema), hives, asthma crisis, and vertigo. Serious adverse events reported after vaccination include convulsion, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, hives, acute asthma, and death.
- Because DENGVAXIA has only recently been licensed for limited use in endemic areas, effectiveness is unknown at this time, as effectiveness is based on real-world data on how the vaccine works in the general population.
- Using the MedAlerts search engine, as of December 27, 2024, there have been 551 reports of dengue vaccine reactions, including 187 hospitalizations, and 269 deaths. Nearly 50 percent of adverse events reported following dengue vaccination resulted in death. Of those reports, nearly all of the adverse reactions and deaths occurred in children who received the vaccine without laboratory confirmation of a previous dengue infection and who subsequently developed a second infection.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about Dengue and the Dengue vaccine by reading all sections in the Table of Contents, which contains many links and resources such as the manufacturer product information inserts, and to speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
DENGVAXIA (Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live) – Sanofi Pasteur Package Insert and Licensing Information
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Affiliates
World Health Organization (WHO)
