Avoid Dengue by Preventing Mosquito Bites | Division of Vector-Borne Diseases | NCEZID

Use insect repellent, wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and control mosquitoes inside and outside your home.

Each year, an estimated 400 million people are infected with dengue virus through the bites of infected mosquitoes. About 100 million get sick. Outbreaks have occurred in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Symptoms of Dengue

The most common symptoms are fever and one or more of the following

• Headache
• Eye pain (typically behind the eyes)
• Muscle, joint, or bone pain
• Rash
• Nausea and vomiting

Severe dengue is an emergency. Recognize the warning signs.

• If you or a family member develops any of these warning signs, go to a local clinic or emergency room immediately:
  • Stomach or belly pain, tenderness
  • Vomiting (at least 3 times in 24 hours)
  • Bleeding from the nose or gums
  • Vomiting blood, or blood in the stool
  • Feeling tired, restless, or irritable

Learn more about dengue symptoms and treatment.

Prevent Dengue: Here’s How

• No medicine is available to treat dengue.
• Avoid infection by preventing mosquito bites.
• The dengue vaccine is ONLY approved for use in children 9–16 years old with laboratory-confirmed evidence of a previous dengue virus infection and living in areas of the United States where dengue is common (U.S. territories of American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the freely associated states, including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).

Use insect repellent

Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the active ingredients below.

• DEET
• Picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and icaridin outside the US)
• IR3535
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
• Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undecanone

Find the right insect repellent for you by using EPA’s search tool .

Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants

• Treat items, such as boots, pants, socks, and tents, with 0.5% permethrin or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.

Learn how to prevent mosquito bites.

Take steps to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home

Learn how to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home >>

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