Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : April 3, 2015 5:51 PM IST
April 7 is World Health Day 2014 and the theme this year is 'Vector-borne diseases small bite, big threat'.
One of the most common vector-borne diseases in India is dengue or dengue fever which afflicts people of all classes. Caused by the dengue virus, common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and a signature skin rash. According to Dr Subhas Sonawala, consultant general physician at Kohinoor Hospital, Mumbai: 'Dengue complications are often termed dengue shock syndrome and is also associated with high mortality rate. Dengue shock syndrome can lead to vascular permeability, dehydration, myocardial dysfunction contributing to development of shock with even multi-organ failure.'
Dengue fever treatment
The dangerous thing about dengue is there are no specific antiviral drugs for the ailment and it's only the symptoms that can be treated. The most important thing that can be done is to maintain their fluid balance to prevent dehydration. This can be done with adequate rest and fluid intake. Acetaminophen and codeine can be given for severe headaches and for joint and muscle pain.
Taking drugs like aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is however dangerous since the infecting organism in dengue affects the platelets which are responsible for the clotting, which in turn increases a person's tendency to bleed. Now drugs like aspirin and NSAIDs also have a similar action which could cause the person to bleed excessively which could cause 'Dengue Shock Syndrome'.
Read more about Dengue-- causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and treatment
Prevention
Since there are no specific treatment options, the best option to prevention. And the main way to prevent dengue is to avoid getting bitten. Here are ten simple tips to prevent dengue:
So what is dengue?
It is a tropical disease, usually transmitted by mosquitoes and the common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and skin rash. There is no vaccine for dengue and the only way to reduce infections is to improve hygiene levels so as to prevent mosquito-bites and prevent mosquitoes from breeding. It's particularly difficult to create a vaccine because it's caused by different viruses and there are no animal models available for testing. The disease kills over five thousand Indians every year and is a seasonal threat, particularly during the monsoon seasons.
So what are the symptoms of dengue?
Characterized by severe flu-like symptoms, dengue affects infants, children and adults alike and could be fatal. The clinical manifestations of dengue vary with the age of the patient. A person suffering from high fever in the range of 40 C/ 104 F, accompanied by any two of the following symptoms could be suffering from dengue:
Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days. Dengue could progress to severe dengue, a potentially fatal complication, causing leaking of plasma, fluid accumulation, respiratory distress, severe bleeding and organ impairment. The warning signs to look out for occur 3-7 days after the first symptoms along with a decrease in temperature are severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, blood in vomit, fatigue, restlessness.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of dengue.
Dengue
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