- 1. What are the differences between the types of dengue?
- 2. When did the types of dengue appear in Brazil?
- 3. Are the symptoms of dengue types 1, 2 and 3 different?
- 4. Can I have dengue more than once?
- 5. Can I have 2 types of dengue at the same time?
There are, so far, 5 types of dengue, but the types present in Brazil are dengue types 1, 2 and 3, while type 4 is more common in Costa Rica and Venezuela, and type 5 (DENV-5) was identified in 2007 in Malaysia, Asia, but with no cases reported in Brazil. All 5 types of dengue cause the same symptoms, which include high fever, headache, pain in the back of the eyes and extreme tiredness.
The risk of being infected with dengue more than once is that when the person has already had dengue of one type and is contaminated with another type of dengue, which determines a greater risk of hemorrhagic dengue to develop. Hemorrhagic dengue is related to the body's exaggerated reaction to the virus and, for this reason, a second exposure is more serious, which can lead to internal bleeding and death if it is not treated early.
Some common questions related to dengue types are:
1. What are the differences between the types of dengue?
All types of dengue are caused by the same virus, however, there are 5 small variations of this same virus. These differences are so small that they cause the same disease, with the same symptoms and the same forms of treatment. However, type 3 (DENV-3), which is the most common in Brazil in the last 15 years, has greater virulence, which means that it causes more severe symptoms than the others.
2. When did the types of dengue appear in Brazil?
Although each year a new dengue epidemic appears, most of the time it is the same type of dengue. In Brazil the existing types of dengue are:
- Type 1 (DENV-1): appeared in Brazil in 1986 Type 2 (DENV-2): appeared in Brazil in 1990 Type 3 (DENV-3): appeared in Brazil in 2000, the most common being until 2016 Type 4 (DENV -4): appeared in Brazil in 2010 in the state of Roraima
Type 5 (DENV-5) of dengue has so far not been registered in Brazil, being found only in Malaysia (Asia) in 2007.
3. Are the symptoms of dengue types 1, 2 and 3 different?
No. The symptoms of dengue are always the same, but whenever the person acquires dengue more than 1 time, the symptoms become more intense because there is a risk of hemorrhagic dengue. That is why everyone should do everything possible to avoid the reproduction of the dengue mosquito, avoiding all outbreaks of standing water.
4. Can I have dengue more than once?
Yes. Each person can get dengue up to 4 times in their life because each type of dengue, DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4 and DENV-5, refers to a different virus and, therefore, when the person gets type 1 dengue, he develops immunity and is no longer contaminated with this virus, but if he is bitten by the type 2 dengue mosquito, he will develop the disease again and in that case, the risk of developing hemorrhagic dengue is greater.
5. Can I have 2 types of dengue at the same time?
It would not be impossible, but very unlikely because 2 different types of dengue would have to be circulating in the same region and this is extremely rare and that is why there have not yet been cases like this.
Watch the following video and see how to keep the mosquito that transmits the dengue virus, far from your home:
