Dengue fever

Key facts Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus. You can catch dengue fever when a mosquito infected with dengue virus bites you. Most people who have dengue fever recover in about a week, but sometimes the infection is more serious. What is dengue fever? Dengue fever or dengue virus infection is an illness with symptoms that are like a bad case of the flu. However, dengue fever is caused by a virus carried by mosquitoes. These mosquitoes are mainly found in: Asia, Africa and South America (see map). Most areas of Australia do not have the type of mosquitoes