Dengue Fever Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention

A local and world environmental change allows mosquitoes to survive in winter months. These mosquitoes habitat areas leading to many seasonal fevers like Dengue fever, Malaria, Typhoid. Dengue is the most leading public health problem. It outbreaks Dengue fever is also known as break bone fever or mosquito borne disease. It is mainly caused by the virus called dengue virus. The mosquito becomes infected with the virus and bites a person. In mild cases it causes fever, rash and muscle and joint pains. Severe cases dengue hemorrhagic fever causing severe bleeding. Million cases are reported worldwide every year. Numbers of cases of dengue are increasing annually. About 528 million people are infected yearly.The major symptom is leakage of blood plasma out of the capillaries. This leakage occurs 24 to 48 hours after the patient fever drops, This is the critical phase. In people with severe dengue the escape of the plasma from the circulatory system can cause fluids to collect in body cavities. It is detected that plasma leakage by observing a higher than normal concentration of red blood cells and an abnormally low protein level in the blood. Another sign of severe dengue is severe bleeding. In some cases, stomach and intestinal bleeding can cause death. In some other cases patients have a tendency to experience changes in blood pressure and pulse rate.Most patients recover from severe dengue with intravenous fluid replacement. The loss of plasma and protein can cause the patient to experience a condition called shock and causes circulatory failure. The lack of blood circulation causes the patient to have cold, clammy, bluish skin. Severe dengue can also lead to respiratory distress and injury of other organs. If untreated this leads to death within 24 hours, but if treated quickly with intravenous fluid replacement patients can recover.

Contents 

·         1 Dengue fever causes

·         2 How dengue fever spreads?

·         3 Dengue fever symptoms

·         4 Dengue fever tests

·         5 Dengue fever treatment

·         6 Dengue fever home remedies

·         7 Dengue fever prevention

·         8 Conclusion

Dengue fever causes

Dengue virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes particularly. They typically bite during the day particularly in the early morning and in the evening. Other Aedes species that transmit the disease include humans as primary host. An infection can be acquired with a single bite. A mosquito gets infected from a person infected with dengue fever and gets infected with the virus. The wild aedes aegypti bites virus infected person it ingests blood with dengue virus and gets infected within 8-10 days. This infected mosquito bites another person and gets dengue in 4-13 days. It can’t be spread directly from one person to another person.

How dengue fever spreads?

·         It spreads through blood transfusions
·         It spread through organ transplantation.

Dengue fever symptoms

The symptoms usually begin in 4-10 days after the infected mosquito bites. These include

·         Sudden high fever.

·         Severe headache.

·         Severe muscle and joint pain.

·         Pain behind eyes.

·         Skin rashes.

·         Vomiting.

·         Bleeding from mouth and nose.

Dengue fever tests

The doctor will take into account all the symptoms to properly diagnose whether you have dengue. Some tests may be ordered to determine whether it is a dengue infection. They will need to know travel history and medical history especially if it involves mosquito exposure.Blood tests – There are different number of ways to find dengue virus. This is directly detected with blood tests which identify antibodies and antigens the test include ELISA ( enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay), HL assay (hemagglutination inhibition assay), RTPCR ( reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction).

Dengue fever treatment

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids. If you have severe dengue fever you may need·         Supportive care in a hospital.
·         Intravenous (IV) fluid and electrolyte replacement.
·         Blood pressure monitoring.
·         Transfusion to replace blood loss.

Dengue fever home remedies

Papaya leaves juice – Papaya juice is a natural cure for dengue fever.
Orange juice –  Fresh orange juice which is filled with vitamins helps in digestion and promote antibodies for a speedy recovery.
Coriander juice – The juice made of coriander leaves can be taken in the form of a tonic to reduce the fevers in dengue.
Basil leaves (tulsi) – Boiled tulsi and serve in a warm water, drink during the early stages. It can help to prevent an outbreak of dengue. This bitter and pungent herb has all the properties that strengthen the internal system against fever.

Dengue fever prevention

There is no vaccine to prevent dengue fever. The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by infected mosquitoes.·         Stay away from heavily populated residential areas
·         Use mosquito repellents even indoors.
·         Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
·         Make sure window and door screens are free of holes.
·         Use mosquito nets

Conclusion

Dengue fever is a seasonal disease which is caused due to infectious virus. Good sanitation is the only way to prevent this disease.