Key points
- No specific medicines are available for dengue.
- Patients presenting with warning signs or severe dengue should be managed in a hospital.
- Patients managed as outpatients should be advised regarding when to return to the hospital.
- Pregnant patients have special considerations.
![A healthcare provider speaking to a patient in an exam room.](/dengue/media/images/clinical-care.jpg)
Treatment recommendations
- No treatment: no specific antiviral agents exist for dengue.
- Supportive care is advised: patients should be advised to stay well hydrated and to avoid aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), aspirin-containing drugs, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) because of their anticoagulant properties.
- Fever should be controlled with acetaminophen and tepid sponge baths.
- Febrile patients should avoid mosquito bites to reduce risk of further transmission.
Severe dengue
- For patients who develop severe dengue, close observation and frequent monitoring in an intensive care unit may be required.
- Prophylactic platelet transfusions in dengue patients are not beneficial and may contribute to fluid overload.
- Administration of corticosteroids has no demonstrated benefit and is potentially harmful to patients; corticosteroids should not be used except in the case of autoimmune-related complication (e.g., hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, immune thrombocytopenia purpura).
Dengue Case Management Pocket Guide
For more information, checkout the Dengue Case Management Pocket Guide. This resource is also available in Spanish.
Dengue During Pregnancy
- The potential for vertical transmission should be considered for pregnant patients with dengue who are symptomatic late in pregnancy or at delivery.
- Newborns usually develop symptoms within 14 days of birth (commonly within the first week), but most babies are asymptomatic.
- Clinical presentation in babies varies from mild common symptoms of dengue to severe dengue with shock and hemorrhagic manifestations.