DON’T FORGET ME, I AM STILL HERE; DENGUE
In a time of Covid-19 pandemic, it is
easy to forget about other diseases that are having worst impact on human
population like dengue and are not going away any time sooner. In the last
couple of weeks, dengue has again made the news across globe
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Dengue in the recent years has become
a global threat. Dengue is a mosquito borne viral infection and found in
tropical and subtropical regions around the world. There are four distinct
serotypes of the dengue virus 1, 2, 3 and 4.
TRANSMITTANCE
Dengue viruses are transmitted to
human by the bite of female mosquito Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This
virus is acquired by mosquitoes while feeding on infected person. Incubation
day of virus is up to 10 days in mosquito, after that it becomes a carrier for transmittance
of disease. Humans are the main host of virus spread although studies are being
conducted to further investigate transmittance via monkeys in many parts of
world.
Aedes aegypti
It is a dark colored mosquito with white dots on body and white markings on legs. Peak period for mosquito bites is early morning and before sunset, every time female mosquito feeds, it bites several people causing spread of disease.
SYMPTOMS
Main symptoms are high
fever above 40 degrees centigrade with flu like symptoms and any two or more of
the following symptoms
·
Muscle
pain
·
Joints
pain
·
Rash
·
Nausea
·
Vomiting
·
Pain
behind the eyes
·
Headache
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE?
Visit a doctor as soon as
possible if you develop following symptoms after returning from dengue
prevalent area
·
Fatigue
·
Fever
·
Severe
abdominal pain
·
Persistent
vomiting
·
Blood
under skin, in urine or stools
·
Difficulty
in breathing
·
Gum
and nose bleeding
DIAGNOSIS
Signs and symptoms are common with
malaria so laboratory tests must be done for the confirmation of disease along
with medical history
TREATMENT
There is no specific
treatment, so prevention must be main focus. Treatment is directed towards
improvement of symptoms by following measures
·
Painkillers
for body and muscle pain
·
Fluid
intake
·
Plenty
of rest
·
Avoid
mosquito bites
COMPLICATIONS
· A
small population of people who have dengue fever can develop a more serious
form of disease that is Dengue hemorrhagic fever
·
Dengue
shock syndrome
·
Cerebral
hemorrhage or edema
·
Hepatitis
·
Encephalitis
·
Myocarditis
·
Cranial
nerve palsy
PREVENTION AND CONTROL
Only way to control this disease is by controlling spread of virus to healthy individual by following measures
In America and Asia, Aedes aegypti breeds in fresh water storage containers, empty tires, domestic plastic containers, earthenware jars, plants pots so it is very important to empty or cover properly all rain water and fresh water storage resources.
Vector control must be achieved by insecticides spraying in affected area
Wearing clothes with full sleeves
Apply insect repellents
If some family member is infected, precautions must be taken to limit spread of infection, however dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person, only through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
MYTH BUSTER
1. Any mosquito bite can lead to dengue during out break
It should be remembered that even during outbreak of dengue, dengue only spreads by the bite of female Aedes mosquito. Not every mosquito bite will cause dengue
2. Elder people and kids are more susceptible to disease
Although these two are risk groups, however dengue can affect any gender and any age group via bite of infected mosquito
3. Once you get dengue, you cannot catch it twice in life
This myth is most prevalent and should be cleared right away that if you got infected, there may be immunity against one strain, however you are still susceptible to be infected with other strains, so a person can catch dengue 4 times in life time