Pharma Fix-a-Form labels for medication to manage the symptoms of dengue fever may be more in demand after new research found that reports of the disease are on the increase.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), there were only 166 reported cases of dengue fever in 2009, a figure which has now more than doubled to 406.

Some 21 per cent of cases occurred as a result of travelling to India, while 15 per cent of those affected had recently been to Thailand.

Meanwhile, infection rates for fellow mosquito borne infection chikungunya were also found to have risen.

HPA spokesperson Dr Jane Jones said: "These figures demonstrate that the importance of taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites extends to protecting against other infections, not just malaria."

Unlike the better-known disease malaria, dengue fever cannot be treated or prevented with drugs, although its symptoms can be managed.

PubMed Health states that aceteminophen can be used for the high fever it is associated with.

Denny Bros Ltd, 12 May 2011