Questions about Dengue fever strains

Factual Questions
1

I’m in Bangkok and theres a nasty Dengue outbreak spreading at the moment. I’ve been unable to get clear information on if the current outbreak is one particular strain of the four DENV-1,DENV-2,DENV-3,DENV 4 or a mixture. Anyone know where I can find that out? I had dengue fever about 12 years ago which I contracted on Koh Pha Ngan (south Thailand). If I catch a second strain it can be much more dangerous (dengue hemorrhagic fever is a common complication). But I’m probably still immune to the strain I already got.

Can I be tested for anti-bodies after this long? Is it worth it? Yeah I’m slapping on the repellent and I can leave town for a while if it gets really bad.

2

No one ?

3

Ok this page seems to indicate that dengue antibodies cannot be detected several months after infection, so I guess that idea goes out the window. I can’t find out what strain I had so I just have to be extra careful.

4

I was going to suggest checking what the World Health Organization says, but they don’t seem to have your outbreak listed.

5

Thats quite strange, its a big deal over here since a famous Thai TV soap star died from it in December. Guess they’re slow to update their website.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/thailand-braces-for-mega/2465766.html

Thailand has all four strains of Dengue and the soap star died from DENV-2 but as far as I can tell the current Bangkok outbreak is a mixture of various strains, so yeah, I’m screwed if I get bit by the wrong mossie.

6

I had dengue in 1989, when I lived in Mae Hong Son up in the North. I don’t know which strain it was or how it would affect contracting another strain. But like you, I believe I’m immune now to the strain I had.

7

Which does neither of us any good since we don’t know which one we had. Well to be precise we have a one in four chance of being fine if bitten, and a three in four chance of being screwed, since it’s more dangerous to contract a different strain a second time. Slap on the spray, cover up and hope for the best I guess.

8

When I caught it, I was working out in rural areas a lot. Back then, I was told the ideal transmission site was a pond in a quiet, peaceful rural area. So I felt safe in Bangkok … until another American I knew when I returned to Thailand in 1994 caught dengue in Bangkok that same year. He lived near Khao San Road and went jogging around daybreak at Thammasat University regularly. He figured that’s where he caught it, by the river. That was the first I’d heard of dengue in this big city. I don’t know if I’d just heard wrong before or the strains were toughening up, and getting tougher still today.

People think malaria is bad, but malaria is to dengue is like the common cold is to cancer. The only time in my life I thought I was fucking going to die right there and then.