Dengue fever: What do I need to know when I travel?

Dengue fever is a fact of life in the tropics and it's on the rise. According to the Department of Health, more than 2000 cases of the disease were confirmed in Australia last year. Most of those infected had recently returned from trips to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and tropical islands throughout the South Pacific.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease, spread primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and it is more prevalent during the wet season when the mosquito population soars. A person infected by the dengue virus develops severe flu-like symptoms, varying according to age and health. Severe dengue is rare but potentially fatal.

In Australia the Aedes aegypti mosquito is found only in a few small areas of north Queensland. So far dengue has not become established in Australia, which would only happen if an Aedes aegypti mosquito was to bite a person infected with the disease. Dengue can also be spread by a bite from Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, which can live in much cooler conditions, and this has the potential to become established throughout Australia.

There is no vaccine to protect against dengue fever. Using insect sprays and repellents containing DEET or picaridin, wearing light coloured, long sleeved shirts and trousers, sleeping in an air-conditioned room or under a mosquito net and being especially vigilant in the early morning and late afternoon when the Aedes mosquito is most active go a long way towards keeping you safe.