Malaysian here. Dengue is an unfortunate fact of life for us - the tropical, wet climate here makes for a great breeding ground for mosquitoes. It's not unusual for a person to be sick for a month or so due to dengue.

The fortunate thing about dengue is that it is rarely fatal. A combination of IV fluids and a lengthy hospital stay is usually enough.

The unfortunate thing is that one of the most effective methods of reducing dengue occurrences is banned in the US - spraying DDT.