What is dengue fever?

What is dengue fever?

Dengue fever is an illness you can get from the bite of a mosquito carrying one of four types of dengue virus (DENV). The virus is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, including Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Dengue isn’t contagious from person to person except when passed from a pregnant person to their child. Symptoms are usually mild with your first infection, but if you get another infection with a different version of DENV, your risk of severe complications goes up.