What is dandy fever?

Dandy fever, also called dengue fever, is a viral fever that spreads through mosquito bite. Its symptoms are headache, fever, muscle and joint pains, swollen glands and rashes. The disease is not contagious and can be contracted only when an Aedes aegypti mosquito which has already bitten a patient with the disease, bites another person. No vaccine is available as yet for dengue. Classified as a life-threatening disease, the fever may last from two to seven days. According to the World Health Organisation, dengue is common in all tropical countries and affects about 50 million people every year. The name originated in the West Indies where slaves who contracted dengue were said to have “dandy fever” because of their posture and gait.