Dengue NS1 Antigen

A dengue test is used for people who have symptoms of dengue fever and they also have a travel history to places where dengue infections are common. Dengue test helps your doctor in ruling out if you have been infected with the virus or not.

The test is also called Dengue NS1 Antigen, ns1 dengue, dengue test ns1, or ns1 test for dengue.

What is dengue?

Dengue is a viral infection that is transmitted by mosquitoe bites, it cannot be spread from person to person. Dengue virus can cause a mild or hemorrhagic fever. Mosquitoes that usually carry this infection are common in areas of southeast Asia, South Pacific, Africa, Caribbean, South and Central America.

What are the uses of a dengue test?

The symptoms of the dengue fever are often confused with chikungunya, malaria, typhoid and zika virus. So a dengue test can help make sure if you are infected by dengue virus or not.

When should I get a dengue test?

Your doctor will prescribe you with a dengue fever test if you are showing symptoms of dengue fever and you have a travel history to an area where dengue infections are common.

Following are the symptoms of dengue fever:

• High grade fever
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Severe headache
• Pain in the joints
• Muscle pain
• Swollen glands
• Rashes on face

When you are exposed to dengue there is a high chance that you may get DHF which is Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, this type of dengue fever can be life threatening. The symptoms of this kind of dengue feverlook like:

• Unstoppable vomiting
• Restlessness
• Bleeding gums and nose
• Severe abdominal pain
• Shortness of breath
• Bleeding under the skin
• Clammy or cold skin
• Bloody stool or urine

What are the requirements of a dengue test?

A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm is required for dengue fever test.

Dengue test procedure

• After you reach a health care centre, a phlebotomist will clean a spot on your arm with an alcohol swab, this is done to disinfect your skin so that no infections are caused.
• Then a sterile needle will be used to draw some blood from your vein, which will then be collected in a vial or test tube. You might feel a stinging pain when the needle goes in and out of your skin.
• A bandage will then be applied to the puncture site. The entire process of this test hardly takes 5 to 7 minutes.
• The collected sample will then be sent to the lab which will give out results in a day or two.

What do the results from a dengue fever test mean?

A negative result means that you are not infected with dengue virus. A positive result means that you are infected with dengue virus. There are no medications to treat dengue fever so your doctor will ask you to stay as hydrated and take rest as much as possible and take over the counter medications to relieve aches.

In case you are having symptoms of DHF (dengue hemorrhagic fever) then you should get yourself admitted to a hospital, so that you can be properly taken care of.