Dengue fever: Causes,Symptoms and Prevention

What is Dengue and how does it spread?

Dengue is a viral infection caused by the bite of a specific kind of mosquito. It’s a severe flu like illness transmits to a human body when it is bitten by an infected female mosquito “Aedes Aegypti”. There are four distinct types refer as serotypes of the dengue virus.  This virus vary mild to severe it’s most severe forms are dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).  It occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. This fever is also known as breakbone fever.

What are the Symptoms of Dengue Fever?

• Sudden-onset fever
• Headache
• Mouth and nose bleeding
• Muscle and joint pains
• Vomiting
• Rash
• Diarrhea

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)/ Dengue Shock Syndrome

• Bleeding from your mouth/gums
• Nosebleeds
• Clammy skin
• Considerably damaged lymph and blood vessels
• Internal bleeding, which can result in black vomit and feces (stools)
• Lower number of platelets in blood – these are the cells that help clot your blood
• Sensitive stomach
• Small blood spots under your skin
• Weak pulse.

Dengue shock syndrome

• Intense stomach pain
• Disorientation
• Sudden hypo-tension (fast drop in blood pressure)
• Heavy bleeding
• Regular vomiting
• Blood vessels leaking fluid

What are the treatment/cure options for this virus?

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment/cure for this fever as it is a virus but there are some prevention one can do to avoid severity.

What are the prevention for dengue fever?

The best thing you can do to prevent dengue fever is to get yourself protected from being bitten by the mosquitoes.

• Wear fully covered dresses, do not let your skin exposed.
• Cover the widows of your home by netting.
• Avoid going outside at dawn, dusk and early evening.
• These types of mosquitoes breed in clean and stagnant water. It is important not to use the uncovered water buckets or water cans.
• Use mosquito killers or repellents.