What is DENV-2? All you need to know about new dangerous dengue strain

What is DENV-2?

DENV-2, a more lethal dengue virus variant, is extremely severe or harmful in its effects and can cause symptoms of severe dengue. The DENV-2 variant of dengue has been rapidly spreading in several parts of India for the past few months. The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has declared DENV-2 as a 'public health emergency'.

The DENV-2 strain can be recognised by the early onset of severe symptoms. If the DENV-2 dengue virus is not treated on time, it can increase the chances of complications like dengue shock syndrome (DSS) and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF).

The DENV-2 variant has caused a rapid surge in dengue fever and death cases in Panchkula, Haryana.

What is dengue?

Dengue is a vector-borne disease or viral infection which is transmitted by mosquitoes caused by four serotypes of dengue viruses (DENV) -- DENV 1, DENV 2, DENV 3 and DENV 4, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas.

Dengue is a viral mosquito-borne disease which is transmitted primarily by a female mosquito, Aedes Aegypti, and to some extent by A. albopictus. The human infections occur due to the bite of an infected mosquito (which is picked up while biting a dengue-infected person) and are sustained by human-mosquito-human transmission. A patient who has recovered from one serotype remains immune against it but is vulnerable to attack from the other three. Infection by other serotypes increases the risk of developing severe dengue.

A timely response is necessary for mitigating the social and economic costs of a dengue outbreak. Cases of vector-borne diseases are usually reported between July and November, but the period may stretch till mid-December.

A person can be infected with dengue as many as four times due to the existence of different strains and subsequent infections are often more severe. Dengue infects about 390 million people a year globally and at least 96 million require treatment, according to the WHO.

There are two kinds of tests for dengue -- direct tests, done through ELISA, to detect the presence of antibodies for dengue and a dengue PCR, which detects the genetic material of the dengue virus.

Dengue cure and treatment

The dengue virus requires strong management by medical professionals as there is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue. In fact, early detection of the disease, precautionary measu and access to proper medical care lowers the fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1 per cent.

Dengue is a threat to almost half of the world's population and in some cases, the disease develops into dengue haemorrhagic fever, which leads to a sharp fall in blood platelets and can be life-threatening.

Dengue symptoms

The symptoms of dengue include high fever, vomiting, headache, rashes and muscle and joint pain. The dengue symptoms start to appear at least thirteen to fourteen days after the infection. The dengue virus causes a severe flu-like illness marked by extreme fatigue and painful joints. The disease occurs in two forms: dengue fever, a severe, flu-like illness, and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF), a more severe form of the disease, which may cause death.