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Dengue fever is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the Aedes genus, principally A. aegypti. The virus has four different types; infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. Subsequent infection with a different type increases the risk of severe complications. As there is no vaccine, prevention is sought by reducing the habitat and the number of mosquitoes and limiting exposure to bites. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. The incidence of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with around 50–100 million people infected yearly. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were elucidated in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a worldwide problem since the Second World War and is endemic in more than 110 countries. (more...)

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• After months of negotiations, the United States Congress raises the U.S. debt ceiling to avoid a projected default.
• Researchers announce the discovery of the largest known fungal fruit body, which exceeds 10 metres (33 feet) in length.
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August 5: International Beer Day; Independence Day in Burkina Faso (1960)

• 1772 – Russia, Prussia and Habsburg Austria began the First Partition of Poland to help restore the regional balance of power in Eastern Europe among those three countries.
• 1858 – American businessman and financier Cyrus West Field (pictured) and his colleagues completed the first transatlantic telegraph cable, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Valentia Island in Ireland to Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• 1925 – The Welsh political party Plaid Cymru was founded with the goals of promoting the Welsh language and the political independence of the Welsh nation.
• 1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan fired the 11,345 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization en masse.
• 1995 – Operation Storm: Croatian forces recovered the town of Knin from the Republic of Serbian Krajina.

More anniversaries: August 4 – August 5 – August 6