Severe dengue: What does the disease course look like? 

The majority of people infected with the dengue virus show no or mild symptoms, but around 1 in 20 infections lead to a very serious illness called severe dengue.^1,2 

Symptoms can start suddenly and tend to follow 3 phases:^2,3 

The disease course of severe dengue begins 4-10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.¹  

• Febrile   
• Critical  
• Recovery  

• As with some mild dengue infections, the severe form usually starts with a high temperature, which lasts for 2–7 days²  
• Warning signs of progression to severe dengue can occur late in the Febrile Phase, around the time the fever starts to subside² 

• The critical Phase typically lasts 24-48 hours² 
• After the Febrile Phase, those infected can appear well.³ However, a small proportion of people then deteriorate and enter the critical phase^2,3 
• In some cases, the critical phase can be fatal^2,3 

• In most cases. Recovery starts to occur after around 2-3 days³ 
• At this point though, the worst of the symptoms have passed and the road to recovery can begin^2,3 
• Even after recovery, some people may experience profound fatigue for several weeks³   

If you are worried about dengue fever or severe dengue, please consult a healthcare professional as soon as possible. Early detection of disease progression and access to proper medical care can lower fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1 in 100 cases.¹