Health officials in Townsville, Queensland, Australia have confirmed the first locally acquired case of dengue fever, the Townsville Hospital and Health Service reported earlier this week.

Local media reports that the individual from Pallarenda, a suburb of Townsville, was diagnosed with the disease after another person brought it into the city from Papua New Guinea.

 

 

 

 

 

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.

People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person.

There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

 

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