Dengue is a disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. The potentially fatal disease is caused by a group of four viruses that are mosquito born. The four virus are closely related, however they are anitgenically distinct. Unfortunately, a person can have several dengue infections in their lifetime because a person does not become immune to the other three viruses if infected.
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes who have been infected with the dengue virus.
In the Western Hemisphere, the Aedes aegypti is the one mosquito species that transmits the disease. When a mosquito bites a person who has Dengue or Dengue Fever, the insect becomes infected and acts as a carrier of the virus. The disease spreads when mosquito-carriers bite healthy individuals who are now hosts for the virus. The Aedes aegypti is a day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans. Everyone is susceptible to the disease if exposed to infected mosquitoes.