‘They weren’t sure I’d survive’ - What is it like to have dengue fever, twice?

Dengue fever cases in Aotearoa have surged as people return from overseas travel with the virus, but what is it like to have the illness, sometimes referred to as breakbone fever?

As it turns out, two of RNZ's own business journalists have had the viral infection spread by mosquitos, with both getting the illness twice.

It comes as dengue cases in the Pacific are at their highest level in almost a decade, with Samoa particularly affected with more than 2000 cases reported and multiple deaths since an outbreak was declared in April.

RNZ business journalist Anan Zaki was hospitalised after a second bout of dengue fever while holidaying and visiting family in the Maldives.

It was 2015, and Zaki said when he first got sick it felt as though he had a typical flu that he couldn’t shake.

“I didn’t even think of dengue then… I got better and a month or so later I felt like I was getting sick again.”

This time his symptoms were much more serious.

“I deteriorated quite quickly… I was vomiting, had an intense fever, serious joint pain, I couldn’t get out of bed because I was so fatigued, and my muscles were so sore.

“I went to the doctor three times and on the third visit they did a blood test which came back as dengue fever.”

Zaki was immediately taken to hospital as he could no longer keep fluid down.

He was found to have dengue haemorrhagic fever, a dangerous complication from the virus, which saw the platelets in his blood decrease suddenly and he developed internal bleeding.

“At day five or six it was touch and go – they weren’t sure if I would survive.

“They had to overdose me on Paracetamol to bring down the fever which ended up damaging my liver in the process.

“It was pretty bleak.”

He described having dengue fever as feeling like having a flu, Covid-19 and a severe stomach bug all at once.

“Mentally it was really hard, but time is a good healer.”

Zaki said it took him about nine months to fully kick the illness.

“I just got unlucky… The doctor told me I had it twice and the second time it just came back harder.

“I was immunocompromised for the next year or so and would get sick very easily.”

Jeffrey Halley, also a business reporter at RNZ, has also had the virus twice – once in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2020 and again in Bali in 2022.

“I didn’t have to be hospitalised, but I spent a whole week just sleeping.”

Halley said a nurse would come to his home in Jakarta twice a day to test his blood and make sure his platelets didn’t drop too low.

“I had flu-like symptoms, fatigue, sore joints, headaches and ended up going to hospital when I became really sleepy.”

Blood tests confirmed he had the virus, and he was given papaya juice to help ease his symptoms.

The second time he caught the virus was during a holiday in Bali after doing outdoor yoga and he immediately recognised what it was when the symptoms began.

“Both times I slept for like a week straight… Whenever I got up, I’d feel dizzy and fatigued, then around day three or four your blood vessels start bursting which causes this red, itchy rash.

“It feels like you’ve been put through a meat grinder.

“I’d never been so tired, so weak and fatigued in my life…There’s nothing really like it.”

Dengue fever can’t be caught in New Zealand as there are no mosquitos that transmit it, but it can be caught while travelling abroad in an area or region that has infected mosquitos.

Symptoms of dengue fever include a sudden high fever, intense headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, tiredness, nausea, vomiting and a fine rash which may be itchy and usually begins on the extremities, but spares the palms and soles of the feet.

Many people will only have mild symptoms, but a small number of people may get severe dengue which could lead to hospitalisation or even death.

Health New Zealand on its website, said many people with dengue may have no symptoms at all or only feel a bit unwell, but symptoms did usually start three to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

“People with symptoms can sometimes have severe muscle and bone pain similar to the feeling of breaking a bone,” it said.

More severe symptoms that needed hospitalisation included severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums, blood in vomit or poo, rapid breathing, extreme tiredness and restlessness.

Dr Susan Jack, national clinical director for National Public Health Service, said people over 60 years old and children aged 10 and under are also at greater risk of severe illness from dengue.

Zaki said he now always brings mosquito repellent with him while travelling and makes sure it is tropical-grade DEET that is applied liberally and often.

Dr Jack said people travelling overseas to parts of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and some southern areas of North America should protect themselves by keeping screens or doors and windows closed while indoors.

They should also wear light coloured protective clothing, including hats, long sleeves and trousers when outdoors.

Wear a repellent cream or spray containing less than 35 percent diethyltoluamide (DEET) when outdoors and avoid places where mosquitos are most active such as swampy areas or places with standing water.

Halley noted anyone travelling to areas where dengue fever was present should make sure they have travel insurance prior to leaving New Zealand.

“It’s important to have travel insurance, hospital bills could be huge otherwise.”

Halley said anyone who thought they might have dengue fever should seek medical attention immediately.

Health NZ’s advice to New Zealanders who had arrived back in the country from a place that had dengue and felt sick within three weeks, should visit a healthcare provider.

“Get medical advice quickly if you have dengue symptoms while you’re travelling.”

If anyone was unsure what to do, they could call Healthline for free advice at 0800 611 116.