Bedside table: thermometer, paracetamol packet, water glass, rehydration sachet — The correct dengue sick-day kit: fluids, paracetamol, a thermometer. No ibuprofen, no aspirin, until dengue is ruled out.

DISEASE FILE · GRADE C: WHO FACT SHEET, 2025-05 REVISION

Dengue: the signs that mean hospital, now.

Most dengue is mild and self-limiting. The danger window opens when fever starts to drop. Know the six before that moment. The six signs · The full course, day by day

Warning signs: any one means seek care now

These mark the shift toward severe dengue. They typically appear as fever falls, three to seven days after symptoms start. Do not wait for more than one.

SIGN 01

Severe abdominal pain

Persistent, not cramp-like.

SIGN 02

Persistent vomiting

More than occasional.

SIGN 03

Rapid breathing

Restless, labored, or both.

SIGN 04

Bleeding gums or nose

Also black stools, easy bruising.

SIGN 05

Restlessness or drowsiness

A marked change in behavior.

SIGN 06

Vomiting blood

Or blood in stool. Emergency.

Until dengue is ruled out, avoid ibuprofen and aspirin. They raise bleeding risk. Paracetamol per label is the usual choice for fever. This page never carries product links; it points to care.

WHO dengue fact sheet, May 2025 revision, checked 2026-09. How we grade

THE QUESTION PEOPLE ACTUALLY TYPE

How do I know if dengue is serious? Watch for severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, gum or nose bleeding, restlessness or drowsiness, and vomiting blood. Any one of these, especially as fever falls, means seek care now.

WHO dengue fact sheet, 2025-05, checked 2026-09

The numbers, in context

Scale, spread and the vector, each with its source.

FACT	VALUE	SOURCE
Annual infections, estimated	100-400 million	WHO, 2025-05
Countries with transmission risk	100+	WHO, 2025-05
Incubation after the bite	4-10 days	WHO, 2025-05
Primary vectors	Aedes aegypti, albopictus	WHO, 2025-05
Vector flight range	~100 meters	CDC biology profile
Egg-to-adult, summer water	7-10 days	WHO dengue guidelines ch. 2

All rows checked 2026-09. Vaccine availability and travel guidance vary by country and change; this page links WHO and CDC as the living sources rather than freezing them.

The region this season

Where the Americas stand, from the logbook.

PAHO week 32, 2026	VALUE
Suspected cases, year to date	1,567,004
Versus same period 2025	-58%
Emergency grade	3, the top tier, still active

Full readout, sub-region table and what it does and does not change for a household: Dengue EW32: the curve bends, the emergency holds (logbook, 2026-09-04).