Dengue virus infection

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About dengue

Dengue, also called dengue fever, is caused by the dengue virus. It is spread by infected mosquitoes.

Infection with dengue virus can cause an illness ranging from mild symptoms to serious disease (such as dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome). In some cases, it can cause death.

The dengue virus has 4 different types.

People who have had dengue before can get infected again.

A second infection with a different type increases the risk of severe dengue, so preventing mosquito bites is especially important for people who have had dengue before.

Why it matters to public health

Dengue is not endemic to Australia, but it is a major global health concern, with millions of infections diagnosed every year around the world.

There is no specific treatment for dengue.

Although dengue does not usually occur in Australia, outbreaks have occurred in northern and central Queensland and the Torres Strait, which have the type of mosquito that spreads dengue.

Because of the risk of outbreaks, public health authorities in these areas carefully manage cases of dengue.

In 2024, there was an increase in dengue outbreaks in countries close to Australia, increasing the local risk.

Because of these major impacts, we:

work with colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors at the national and state and territory levels to ensure a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring and reporting of dengue
plan for how to manage major outbreaks.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Common symptoms include:

sudden fever or chills
headache, including pain behind the eyes
muscle pains in the back, arms and legs
rash.

Most people who have dengue recover in about a week.

Symptoms of severe dengue include:

severe abdominal pain
rapid breathing
vomiting, sometimes with blood in it
bleeding gums
other types of unexplained bleeding.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 4 and 7 days after an infected mosquito bite. This can range from 3 to 14 days.

How it spreads

Dengue spreads through the bite of certain types of mosquitoes after they have fed on an infected person.

The mosquitoes that spread dengue usually bite during the day. They are found in urban and residential areas and breed in containers of water like buckets and flowerpots.

Dengue does not transmit directly from person to person.

Rarely, dengue can spread through infected blood, such as:

during blood transfusions
when drawing blood
when handling blood in laboratories.

Infectious period

A person with dengue can spread the virus to mosquitoes from just before symptoms start and until symptoms end.

Prevention

If you live in or are travelling to an area where dengue occurs, the best protection is to prevent mosquito bites.

There is no vaccine to prevent against first-time dengue infections available in Australia.

If you have had dengue before, there are very specific circumstances where the dengue vaccine may be considered – speak to your healthcare professional.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting dengue or getting very sick from it.

If you are at greater risk, it is especially important to take steps to protect yourself.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Dengue poses a greater risk of severe illness for people who have had dengue before.

Most children who are infected with dengue virus experience no or mild symptoms.

But, of those who do experience more severe disease, children and young adults are more likely to develop:

dengue haemorrhagic fever
dengue shock syndrome.

People at greater risk of exposure

People are more likely to be exposed to dengue if they live in or are travelling to an area where dengue is common. This includes parts of:

the Pacific
Asia
Africa
South America.

Diagnosis and treatment

Dengue is usually diagnosed through:

a blood test
assessment of symptoms
review of recent travel history and exposure to mosquitoes.

Spinal fluid (lumbar puncture) and urine tests are sometimes required to diagnose dengue.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

There is no specific treatment for dengue.

If you have dengue, do not take anti-inflammatory medicines – like aspirin or ibuprofen – as they increase the risk of bleeding.

If you have serious symptoms, you will need to be cared for in hospital.

Read more about how to manage or treat dengue.

Surveillance and reporting

Dengue is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new confirmed and probable cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We take a One Health approach to surveillance of dengue virus. As well as human disease surveillance, we work with government agencies for agriculture and the environment to monitor dengue virus in mosquitoes and the environment.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

Any dengue infection acquired in Australia is considered an outbreak.

Dengue outbreaks in Australia are usually triggered by travellers who have returned from countries infected with dengue virus, and infect mosquitoes when they get bitten. Those mosquitoes can then bite other people and spread the infection.

How public health agencies respond to dengue cases and outbreaks depends on:

laws in each state or territory
the species of mosquitoes in the area
what resources are available.

Control measures might include:

mosquito and larval control activities
educating people about the disease
mosquito bite prevention education and promotion
communication with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, as blood donations in outbreak areas may be restricted.

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For information about dengue in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.