Dengue fever: Precautions, early symptoms, treatment
With the arrival of the monsoon, there is a general excitement in the air. A respite from the searing summer heat and an expectation of cooler and pleasant weather. But, along with this pleasant weather and excitement monsoon brings, it also brings along with it several seasonal ailments. One such disease is dengue. Even though dengue is prevalent throughout the year, people are more prone to this disease during the monsoon. This is due to factors such as the humid tropical weather, water puddles and water bodies that are formed by the monsoon, which in turn become breeding ground to mosquitoes which are the carriers of this disease.
So what is dengue and its early symptoms?
Dengue virus is an RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae. It is transmitted by a type of female mosquito from Aedes aegypti species. Dengue like other viral fevers has early symptoms of high fever which is more than 100 F along with two or more symptoms such as headache, joint and muscle pain, pain behind the eyes, vomiting, fatigue rash. Late Severe symptoms include bleeding of the gums and blood in urine and vomit. Diagnosis of dengue is usually made clinically, by physical examination and symptom-based. However, it is diagnosed more emphatically using laboratory test which checks for the dengue specific antigen and antibodies.
There is no need to Panic!!! Experts have traced back dengue occurs from the early 19th century. Patients recover fully from dengue
Treatment & Recovery
There are no specific drugs that treat dengue. Treatment is more for symptoms such as fever, pains etc. Fluid management of the body is the core of the treatment. Treatment in extreme cases also involves replenishing the platelets lost by the body. Recovery in most cases can be managed at home without the need for hospitalization.
How can dengue be prevented?
Prevention of occurrence and spread of dengue needs a more holistic approach from both the individual and society as a whole. There are several ongoing studies that are closing in on an effective dengue vaccine but until then prevention is the best measure that can be taken.
As individuals, we all can prevent dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases by taking these simple precautions
Cover your skin with appropriate clothes, use mosquito repellants, mosquito nets that minimize your exposure and reduce water stagnation which breeds mosquitoes and reduce your chance of mosquito bites.
As a society, we need to keep our environment clean, reduce the breeding grounds of mosquitoes, planned urbanization using biological agents and insecticides to reduce mosquitoes.
(This article is attributed to Dr. Neelam, MD General Medicine, Apollo Clinic, Bangalore)
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of India TV)
