HOW IS DENGUE FEVER SPREAD?
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes who have been infected with the dengue virus. In the Western Hemisphere, the Aedes aegypti is the one mosquito species that transmits the disease. When a mosquito bites a person who has Dengue or Dengue Fever, the insect becomes infected and acts as a carrier of the virus. The disease spreads when mosquito-carriers bite healthy individuals who are now hosts for the virus. The Dengue virus is only spread by mosquitoes; it is not spread directly from person to person. The Aedes aegypti is a day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans. WHO GETS DENGUE FEVER? Everyone is susceptible to the disease if exposed to infected mosquitoes. Dengue fever is a current epidemic in more than 100 subtropical countries where the mosquito population is high. These tropical regions include the Caribbean, Central America, Puerto Rico and tropical Asia. Travelers are often infected by the disease when visiting tropical areas where dengue commonly exists. Unfor
