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Dengue fever is one of the most severe forms of the viral fevers. There are not many causes of dengue fever. It is only caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted to human beings through mosquito bites. The specific striped mosquito, referred as Aedes mosquito, is solely responsible for spreading the dengue fever viruses. These mosquitoes usually breed in the rainy season. They also breed rapidly in stale water such as ponds, pits, and flower pots. These mosquitoes usually bite during the day time only. Almost all of the tropical and semitropical regions are prone dengue fever.

Dengue fever is not a contagious disease, and it only spreads through mosquito bites. A mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person transmits the virus to another person through bites. The symptoms of dengue begin to appear after four to five days of the incubation of the dengue virus in the body as a result of infected mosquito bite. Signs and symptoms of dengue fever are as under:

• Sudden and very high fever that may go up as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Severe headache with pain behind the eyes.
• Severe pain in the joints. The pain is so severe that sometimes dengue fever is also referred to as break-bone fever.
• Acute pain in the muscles.
• Reddish pink colored rashes on the skin. The itching and irritating rashes quickly spread throughout the body, except the face.
• Swelling of lymph glands.
• Soles and palms become red with swelling.
• Stomach pain and black-colored stool.
• Bleeding gums.
• Low blood pressure and reduced heart beat rate.

Fever and the other above mentioned symptoms persist from three to four days, and after that there is a sudden fall in the body temperature with heavy sweating. After that you feel as if everything is fine and normal. Then, after a day or two, again there is a sudden rise in temperature with the same symptoms. The signs and symptoms of dengue fever in children are also more or less similar. As soon as you experience these symptoms, you should immediately consult your doctor for proper diagnosis. The diagnosis of dengue fever is carried out by blood test.

In order to prevent dengue fever you should take the following steps:

• The first and the foremost step to be taken is to prevent mosquito bites. For this, you must keep your body parts covered and wear full pants and full-sleeve shirts.
• Do not allow water to accumulate in your surroundings as the mosquitoes responsible for dengue fever breed very fast in stale water.
• If there are any pits around filled with rain water, do get the area sprayed with the proper insecticides in order to get rid of the mosquitoes. Get it done repeatedly every three to four days to ensure that mosquitoes are completely eliminated.
• Use mosquito repellants in your homes.

Treatment of dengue fever involves controlling the fever and administering the antibiotics in order to protect you from any other bacterial infections. There are several home remedies as well that can form part of the treatments for dengue fever that are available. Two of the most popularly used dengue fever home remedies are as under:

• Prepare some tea using half a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. Boil it till the water quantity is reduced to half. Drink this tea three times a day. This remedy is very useful in the treatment for dengue fever.
• Crush a small piece of dried ginger and boil it with tea. This tea also gives relief from fever by inducing sweating and hence lowering the body temperature.

Even when choosing from the various treatments for dengue fever, it is always advisable to consult a doctor first and get proper treatment for the condition. You could use home remedies as complimentary to the medical treatment given by your doctor.