Dengue and chikungunya have created a very critical situation lately. While these vector-borne diseases have already taken many lives, DocsApp, a 24x7 mobile online platform that connects patients to specialist doctors across India, has listed 6 of the major misconceptions about these diseases.
If you thought that these vector-borne diseases don't reoccur. Think again! There are four different types of dengue viruses namely DEN 1, 2, 3 and 4. Once you are affected by one of these four, it doesn't assure you protection against other strains. So dengue can be contracted multiple times by a patient over the course of his/her lifetime.
This is the most common misconception associated with dengue and chikungunya. It is not just dirty water that mosquitoes breed in even clean water that has been stagnant for over many days, act as a breeding ground for Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito. Water collected in discarded tyres and tubes, empty flower pots, drums, under refrigerators can all be potential breeding spots for mosquitoes.
Most people think that sprays and fumigation can ensure 100 percent safety against mosquitoes but that is not the case. However, they help in decreasing the mosquito population to a great extent. But using only insecticides is not enough as the egg and larvae are not affected by this. It is important to keep your surroundings clean and tidy.
One of the major symptoms of chikungunya includes terrible joint and muscle pain, which can closely mimic rheumatoid arthritis or other rheumatologic diseases. Most patients recover completely but in some cases, the joint pains may persist for weeks or months.
There is no vaccine yet that can immune human beings against these vector borne diseases, vaccine for dengue maybe launched soon though.However, 75 percent of dengue cases are cured by just dispensing oral fluids properly and providing proper treatment to patients. So antibiotics aren't the real solution.
Most people associate low platelet count with dengue. Of course, it is an important symptom of dengue but even a common cold and viral fever can bring down your platelet count.So there are there are several other viral infections which can result in a low platelet count.People with blood-related diseases like anaemia, severe infections and immunological disorders are bound to have fewer platelets in their blood.
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