Dengue: Its causes, symptoms and preventions

Dengue fever is one of the most widespread diseases that get transmitted through female mosquitoes Aedes. A viral infection that can be seriously fatal if not taken care of. As the monsoon season begins and with the spells of showers continuing, chances of dengue fever, malaria and other mosquito borne diseases increase. This is mostly because of the water that gets accumulated in old plastic containers, tin vessels or in used rubber tyres. Dengue is fatal and can cause even death if not treated early.

So, combatting this disease and take necessary precautions are very important. This blog would help you to understand about dengue fever in details. Read the blog to understand all about dengue fever- why it is caused, common symptoms, preventive measures and what you should do if you or your near ones get affected.

 

What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue Fever is a viral infection, mostly transmitted by the bites of female mosquitoes Aedes mosquito. There are four closely related dengue viruses called dengue serotypes, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 &DEN-4 that may cause dengue. Dengue affects muscles and joints severely and is common in countries like India, South-East Asia, China, Africa, and Central America. Climatic change, rapid urbanization, population growth, unhygienic conditions, breeding ground for mosquitoes increase the chance of spreading dengue.

One of the most wide-spread mosquito-borne viral diseases, dengue outbreaks generally occur during and after the rainy season. Dengue though not communicable and cannot spread from person to person; can be fatal if it’s very serious and it increases the chances of severe dengue if people are infected by a different serotype.

 

The Symptoms

Usually, symptoms depend on the age of persons. Generally, the symptoms show high fever for the first few days, 4-7 days of being bitten by the infected mosquito.

Common symptoms include:

1.Severe joint and muscle pain

2.High fever up to 105 degree F

3.Severe headaches

4.The entire body gets covered in red rashes

5.Pain behind the eyes

6.Diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting

Sometimes, the disease may be mild and symptoms do not clearly show up in a patient. Small children, if affected by dengue show rashes, along with fever and joint pains and other signs may be very minor. Often dengue fever develops into a potentially fatal illness. The haemorrhagic fever include all the symptoms of normal dengue as well as the bleeding of the nose, gums, or under the skin, which is an outcome of damaged blood vessels. This form of the disease can be very fatal and not be neglected.

 

Preventing Dengue

The most feasible way of not getting affected by dengue is to avoid mosquito bites. As such, you should wear light coloured clothes and cover a maximum part of your body. Furthermore, Aedes mosquito types bite mostly during the day time and late afternoons just before the evening, so you can keep your doors and windows closed before the afternoons.

Some other precautions that you may take to prevent dengue include:

1.Use mosquito repellents

2.Make sure water does not stagnate in your area

3.Keep your windows closed to prevent mosquitoes from entering

4.Wear full-sleeved clothes, during day time and late afternoon

5.Cover empty, clean domestic water storage containers

6.Dispose of wastes regularly and keep your area clean

7.Prevent mosquitoes from accessing egg-laying habitats

Fighting Dengue

To prevent dengue from spreading, some easy tips must be implemented like using insecticides, spraying kerosene oil in areas where there is a chance of mosquito breeding. This would reduce the chance of egg-laying habitats for mosquitoes.

 

Treatment

Though there is no such treatment for dengue, early detection and proper treatment can lower the risk of dengue. It is seen that severe dengue is marked by difficulty in breathing, mucosal bleeding, abdominal pain, and continuous vomiting.

Supportive care with analgesics, adequate fluid replacement and bed rest are helpful. Doctors generally recommend acetaminophen and paracetamol tablets to treat fever and give you relief from pains. Non-steroidal, anti- inflammatory drugs should be avoided. Management of severe dengue requires careful attention to fluid management and proactive treatment of haemorrhage. The best way is to be under the supervision of medical professionals and doctors. They will do the correct treatment and help you cure dengue.

 

Disclaimer

Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.