Dengue is not a disease that can be taken lightly. When dengue fever turns into Dengue Shock Syndrome or Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, it becomes powerful enough to take lives. Let’s educate ourselves to take down this disease together, and save ours and our loved ones lives.
Cause of Dengue
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the one causing dengue. The female infected mosquito transmits the virus to humans when it bites.
Infected humans become the carriers of the virus. They serve as the source to the uninfected mosquitoes that bite them. Patients infected with dengue can transmit the virus to Aedes mosquito for 4-5 days after their first symptoms appear.
These infected mosquitoes, after a period of 4-10 days of virus incubation, can be capable of transmitting the virus for the rest of their lives. Then they bite other humans and infect them, and the cycle continues in this fashion. Dengue can not be transmitted from one human to another directly.
There are 4 different strains of the virus. When more than one strain affects a human, the severity of dengue increases. It can turn into haemorrhagic fever, or the shock can cause multiple organ failure and then death of the patient.
Symptoms of Dengue
Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness which seldom causes death. The symptoms generally develop within 4-7 days after getting infected through a mosquito bite. Symptoms of dengue fever include:
- High fever (up to 40° C)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Body rash which appears on day 3 or 4
- Severe headache
- Pain behind the eyes
- Severe joint and muscle pain
Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever or Shock Syndrome can be fatal. These are identified by the presence of additional symptoms like:
- Severe abdominal pain
- Persistent vomiting
- Rapid breathing
- Bleeding Gums
- Fatigue and restlessness
- Blood in vomit
Dengue Treatment
There is no specific treatment for the disease. Pain killers can be taken to reduce the severity of pain and fever. Volume of body fluid in patients with severe dengue needs to be maintained properly. Changes in this can be critical to the patient’s life. Medical care by physicians and nurses is the only way to get over this disease.
Precautions That Need To Be Taken To Stop Dengue
One way to protect yourself from dengue is to prevent mosquitoes from biting you. To make an end to this disease, we all need to get together and stop breeding of Aedes mosquito.
Prevent mosquitoes from biting you
- Use mesh screens on windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering the house.
- Keep unscreened doors and windows closed.
- Wear protective clothing with full sleeves, during early hours of the day and during late afternoon.
- Use mosquito repellents containing DEET, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Eliminate the breeding areas of mosquitoes
- Keep domestic water storage containers covered, and empty and clean them every week.
- Dispose off the solid waste properly.
- Apply appropriate insecticides to outdoor water storages.
- Get rid of areas where mosquitoes breed, like standing water in flower pots, containers, etc.
- Prevent egg laying habitats from forming by taking proper care of your surroundings.
- Grow mosquito repellent plants like catnip, rosemary, and citronella.
- Get Pest Control services in Bangalore from Bro4u to get rid of mosquitoes in and around your house.
