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Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called break-bone fever because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking, hence the name.
The virus that causes dengue fever is called an arbovirus, which stands for arthropod-borne virus. Mosquitoes are a type of arthropod. In a number of regions, mosquitoes carry this virus and are responsible for passing it along to humans.

Dengue fever can be caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. A person can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during a life span, but only once by the same type.
Dengue is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite preferentially during the daytime, especially in the morning and late afternoon. Aedes mosquitoes are usually found close to human habitations, often indoors. They breed primarily in man-made water containers, such as jars, barrels, cans, cisterns, metal drums, plastic containers, and discarded tires.

Symptoms of typical uncomplicated (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 5 to 6 days after you have been bitten by an infected mosquito and include:

- High fever, up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Severe headache.
- Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain.
- Severe joint and muscle pain.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Rash.

The tests include:
- CBC (shows mildly increased white blood cells, decreased platelets, and increase in hematocrit).
- acute and convalescent serum (measures an increase in antibody titer for dengue virus types).
- serologic studies (demonstrates antibodies to dengue viruses, may be type-specific).

The complications are:
- febrile convulsions
- severe dehydration