dengue

/ˈdɛŋgi/

/ˈdɛŋgi/

Dengue is a tropical disease that's spread through mosquito bites. The best way to avoid getting dengue is to use insect repellant and cover windows with mosquito netting.

Dengue, or dengue fever, is a common viral illness in more than 100 countries around the world. It is usually relatively mild, but about 18 percent of infected people end up in the hospital, some of them requiring blood transfusions. Symptoms include body aches, fever, and rash, with severe cases causing low platelet counts. As the climate warms and mosquito populations grow, dengue cases have also increased. Dengue is derived from the Swahili dinga, "seizure or cramp."

Definitions of dengue

1. noun

   an infectious disease of the tropics transmitted by mosquitoes and characterized by rash and aching head and joints
   synonyms: breakbone fever, dandy fever, dengue fever

   type of:

   infectious disease

   a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact