Tourists from Europe and North America are often advised to seek adequate protection against tropical diseases such as malaria, dengue, tuberculosis and chikungunya. While there are vaccines and precautionary methods to ward off some tropical diseases, dengue and malaria do not have vaccines that are effective. The only precaution that tourists and locals alike can take is to make sure that they don’t let dengue or malaria carrying mosquitoes bite them. That is next to impossible, as a mosquito repellent will still not ensure that every species of mosquito is repelled. What results is that we continue to see a number of people getting sick after being infected with dengue or malaria, and some even succumb to it.

It is important to note that though malaria and dengue are both caused by mosquito bites, they are two different infections. While both the infections cause high fevers, chills and nausea, dengue is known for its characteristic muscle and bone pains. Dengue is also known by the term ‘breakbone fever’ because of the excruciating muscular and joint pains that the infected individual experiences. It is important to note that an infection of either malaria or dengue is diagnosed after conducting blood tests, and at the moment both the infections are present in tropical and subtropical regions. Dengue is thought to be endemic in more than 100 countries in the world. The most affected continents are South America, Asia, and Africa. Typical symptoms of dengue include headache, muscle and joint pains, and fever. To continue reading, click here.