The Thimphu national referral hospital has diagnosed several people, from outside Thimphu, with the dengue infection this month. "Two are above 50 years and four are under 10,' said officials from the public health laboratory (PHL). The dengue infection was confirmed from blood samples. Records from the in-patient department (IPD), however, indicate only five dengue positive cases this month. "Some patients directly go to the out-patient department (OPD) and some just give their blood and don't come back,' said the record section in-charge. Three patients were from Tala, Chukha dzongkhag, and one each from Dagapela, Dagana dzongkhag, and Umling, Sarpang dzongkhag. "A 53-year old driver from Tala and a nine year old boy from Dagapela had come themselves for check ups, while others were referred from their respective hospitals,' said the in-charge of the record section. Records in the pediatric section show seven infected cases reported so far in 2008 and 37 last year. Most of them were from southern region of Chukha, Sarpang and Dagana. Doctor K P Tshering of the pediatric section said that dengue was more of a risk to young children and the elderly, as they cannot tolerate illnesses like normal healthy adults. According to health officials, dengue is of two types, one is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the dengue-infected mosquito - the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species - and the other is the severe form of dengue, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which could result in death if not treated properly. "During the monsoon, mosquitoes breed in abundance in hot places like southern regions and it's the peak season for dengue infection,' said a health official from PHL section. Dengue fever is a flu-like illness, that affects infants, young children and adults, but seldom causes death, according to the guideline for the management and prevention of dengue infection. "The dengue infection takes time to develop, for example, if you're infected today and tested tomorrow, the result will be negative,' said the official from PHL section. The symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, body aches, especially back and joint pains, nausea and vomiting, eye pain, and rash. Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), on the other hand, is characterized by fever that lasts from two to seven days. Skin rashes could appear between seven to 10 days. Further complications like bleeding from skin, nose, gum and even internal bleeding may occur. In the absence of medical aid, bleeding can lead to shock, followed by death. Like most viral diseases, there is no specific medication for treatment of dengue. Patients are advised to take analgesics like paracetamol, drink plenty of fluids and go to the nearest health unit, according to the health officials.