Advice to general practitioners in north Queensland
Dengue fever is a notifiable disease, even upon suspicion.
Queensland Health relies heavily on general practitioners and emergency department doctors to notify them of possible cases of dengue, particularly in people who have recently arrived from tropical countries. Laboratories will also notify Queensland Health of positive dengue results.
The clinical symptoms of dengue can range from mild to severe. The World Health Organization provides guidelines with detailed information on dengue symptoms and treatment.
Doctors in north Queensland especially those practising in geographical ‘hot spots’ for dengue fever need to be particularly aware of the importance of notification and testing.
The Information for General Practitioners fact sheet is a two page summary of clinical features, laboratory clues, laboratory testing, management, dengue haemorrhagic fever and GP responsibilities.
Recommended steps for doctors who suspect dengue fever in a patient:
Step 1
Notify Tropical Population Health Network immediately upon clinical suspicion, rather than waiting for a laboratory result.
Early notification enables Tropical Population Health Network to control mosquitoes promptly to prevent transmission of the virus on to other humans. Any delay in notification can mean the difference between managing a sporadic case of dengue and managing an outbreak with multiple cases.
Step 2
Order tests. Laboratory confirmation is essential to Tropical Population Health Network in outbreak monitoring and control. It is also important for the patient to have laboratory confirmation of their illness.
A screening test for dengue would be an IgM test. A PCR test may be more appropriate depending on the timing of the onset of the disease.
Detailed information on testing is provided in Appendix 3 of the Dengue Fever Management Plan or you can contact Tropical Population Health Network for advice.
|
Number of days after onset of symptoms
|
||||
|
1-3 days
|
4-6 days
|
7-12 days
|
13 days plus
|
|
|
Test |
PCR
|
May need
PCR and IgM |
IgM
|
IgG
|
Step 3
Advise the patient to wear repellent while they are sick, especially during the daylight hours. A patient with dengue can transmit the virus to mosquitoes from the day before they develop symptoms and then for a further 12 days.
In 8-10 days the infected mosquito is able to transmit the virus to other people. Thus the cycle of transmission may take only 14 days. One dengue-infected female mosquito is capable of biting and infecting several people during one feeding session.
Resources for downloading
These resources are part of a dengue fever prevention campaign for north Queensland residents. The campaign encourages residents to: “Stop the mosquito breeding and stop the disease”.
If you would like resources for your surgery contact the Tropical Population Health Network
Click on the picture to go to the full size document.
|
|
|
Other languages