PlateletThrombocyte, PLTPlatelets are the smallest cells in blood and their job is clotting — they clump at the site of an injury and form the initial plug that stops bleeding. A platelet count is part of a standard blood test.
Dengue: spotting the danger signs
Dengue kills through a short, recognisable window when the fever drops and fluid leaks from the blood vessels. This quiz covers the warning signs of that phase, why one common painkiller is dangerous, and what platelet counts do and do not mean.
9 questionsabout 5 minintermediateFree · no sign-up
Question 1/9
1. Dengue is spread by:
Every question, with the answer explained
The full set, for revision or for reading straight through. The correct answer is marked, and the explanation says why.
1. Dengue is spread by:
- Contaminated water
- The bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which bites by day
- Coughing and sneezing
- Sharing food
The bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which bites by day. Aedes aegypti bites mostly in daylight, especially early morning and late afternoon, and breeds in clean standing water around the home — coolers, tyres, plant pots, water tanks.
2. When is severe dengue most likely to develop?
- On the first day of fever
- Around the time the fever falls, typically days 3–7
- Two weeks after recovery
- Only if fever exceeds 40°C
Around the time the fever falls, typically days 3–7. The critical phase begins as the temperature drops — which is exactly when people assume they are improving. Plasma leaks from the vessels over roughly 24–48 hours.
3. Which painkiller should be avoided in suspected dengue?
- Paracetamol
- Ibuprofen, aspirin and other NSAIDs
- Any tablet at all
- Oral rehydration salts
Ibuprofen, aspirin and other NSAIDs. NSAIDs and aspirin increase bleeding risk and can worsen low platelets. Paracetamol is the antipyretic of choice in dengue.
4. Which is a dengue warning sign needing hospital assessment?
- Mild headache
- Persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, or bleeding gums
- Feeling tired
- A single episode of loose stool
Persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, or bleeding gums. Persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, lethargy, restlessness or a rapidly falling platelet count with rising haematocrit all mark the transition to severe dengue.
5. Does a low platelet count alone determine severity?
- Yes — under 100,000 always means hospital admission
- No — warning signs and fluid status matter more
- Platelets are irrelevant
- Only if under 50,000 does anything matter
No — warning signs and fluid status matter more. Platelets are watched, but clinical warning signs and evidence of plasma leakage drive decisions. Many people with counts in the 50–100,000 range are managed at home with careful fluids and review.
6. What is the mainstay of dengue treatment?
- Antibiotics
- Careful fluid replacement and monitoring
- Antiviral tablets
- Platelet transfusion for everyone
Careful fluid replacement and monitoring. There is no specific antiviral. Getting fluid balance right — enough, not too much — is what changes outcomes, alongside paracetamol and close monitoring.
7. Which is true about platelet transfusion in dengue?
- It is given routinely to everyone
- It is reserved for significant bleeding or very low counts on specialist advice
- It cures dengue
- It prevents dengue
It is reserved for significant bleeding or very low counts on specialist advice. Routine prophylactic transfusion has not been shown to help and carries its own risks. It is a targeted decision, not a default.
8. Can you get dengue more than once?
- No, one infection gives lifelong immunity to all types
- Yes — there are four serotypes, and a second infection carries higher risk of severe disease
- Only twice
- Only in children
Yes — there are four serotypes, and a second infection carries higher risk of severe disease. Immunity is lifelong only to the serotype you had. A later infection with a different serotype carries a higher risk of severe dengue, which is why past infection is not reassurance.
9. What most reduces dengue risk around the home?
- Emptying standing water weekly and using repellent by day
- Boiling drinking water
- Avoiding cold drinks
- Sleeping with the fan on
Emptying standing water weekly and using repellent by day. Aedes breeds in clean standing water close to houses. Weekly emptying and scrubbing of containers, screens, and daytime repellent are what work — dengue is not waterborne.
Words used in this quiz
- DehydrationFluid depletion, Paani ki kamiDehydration is a shortage of water and salts in the body, from losing more than is taken in through diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, heat or simply not drinking. In children and older people it becomes dangerous quickly and is the main cause of death from ordinary diarrhoea.
- AntipyreticFever medicine, Bukhar ki dawaAn antipyretic is a medicine that brings a fever down, paracetamol being the commonest. It treats the discomfort of a fever rather than whatever is causing it, and a fever coming down is not evidence that the illness has been cured.
- VirusViral infectionA virus is genetic material in a protein coat that can only reproduce inside a living cell. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, which is why they are not prescribed for a common cold.
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