Dengue- Meaning, Symptoms and treatment

Dengue which is also called as dandy fever and break bone fever is the viral disease which is caused by species of female mosquito called as ‘’Aedes Aegyptus’’.

It is not a contagious disease; it is spread by bite of mosquito. It is widespread all over the tropics but it is leading cause of death and sickness in tropical and subtropical region.

Dengue is seen mostly in wet and warm climates, generally it has outbreaks in rainy season. Dengue fever is always severe and it affects all the age group of humans. Dengue has four serotypes which are named as Den 1, Den 2, Den 3 and Den 4. It is possible to get dengue more than one time in lifetime. Person gets life time immunity from specific serotype from which he was attacked, so he can get infected again from other serotypes of dengue. [1]

Symptoms of dengue:

Dengue has flu like symptoms, it may be mild to severe in nature. Following symptoms are characteristics of dengue fever:

Very high fever with chills is the initial sign, temperature may raise up to 104-105ºF
With fever there is headache which is very severe
Severe pain behind the eyes
As name break bone itself suggest the severity of this symptom, there is severe bone pains, joint pains and muscles too are very tender.
There is constant nausea and also vomiting episodes
Early rashes are also seen (more prominent in small children)
After 3 to 4 days of fever there can be rashes seen all over the and then gradually it subsides within one to two days. After few days’ rash may reappear.
There is also swelling in glands seen
On investigation white blood count(WBC)can be seen decreased.

Other stage of symptoms which can be life threating are:

Dengue hemorrhagic fever: this is the condition where all the above symptoms are accompanied with other severe group of symptoms like bleeding from orifices example gums, nose. There is noticeable damage to blood vessels and lymph vessels. Blood platelet count goes down. This condition of dengue can cause death. This condition is characterized by dengue fever for two to seven days and when the temperature decrease above warning signs may arise.

Dengue shock syndrome: during this condition severity of symptoms are to the peak, including all the above symptoms and dengue hemorrhagic symptoms there are additional symptoms like profuse bleeding, fluid starts to leak outside the blood vessels, organs starts to get damage, respiratory distress is also seen, blood pressure starts to go down which leads person to shock. This type is more common in children and young adults generally who suffer from second time infection of dengue. It leads to death ultimately.

Treatment of dengue fever:

As dengue is caused by virus, so there is no specific antibiotic or any medicine for its complete cure. however, medicines are taken for relieving the symptoms of dengue fever while the infection finish its course in body.

So for treatment of dengue one should undergo complete treatment under supervision of physician. Physician along with medicines suggest to drink adequate fluids for prevention against dehydration. They also suggest to take good bed rest. If you don’t feel any signs of improvement in your condition after 3-5 days, you should rush to physician without making any delay. You will feel exhausted and sick for some days. Many people recover from this in two weeks, though sometimes it can take up to five to six weeks for recovering completely.

Home remedies for Dengue

There are also somethings which you can do at home along with your conventional dengue treatment, following are some ways which help you to treat dengue at home (you can try them with your regular medications of dengue).

Neem leaves or Neem Oil: it has great purifying agent and can be used on damp warm cloth with minimum quantity and can be used for two times a day. It should be avoided by the couple who are trying to conceive.

Coriander leaves: it is commonly available. One can take it in form of tonic which will help to reduce temperature of the body in dengue fever.

Fruits which are high in vitamin C content: fruits like Amla (known as Embellica officinalis) are recommended. As vitamin C helps in iron absorption.

Juice of Papaya (leaf): it is good for dengue fever, it can help and cure dengue because it helps to increase platelet in blood. So deficiency of platelet can be managed naturally with this fruit juice.

Leaves of Fenugreek: fenugreek leaves are taken in form of herbal tea to decrease fever. This tea helps to cleanse the different systems of body. It is helpful in treatment of dengue fever.

Prevention from dengue

dengue is caused by mosquito so it is important to take measures to prevent this infection from spreading by managing environmental issues.

By proper disposing the solid waste
By cleaning water storage(domestic) regularly and covering it properly.
By applying suitable insect repellent to outside containers of water storage.
By using protection like window screens, materials which are treated by insecticide, vaporizers and coils.
By not allowing waste remains for longer time in the environment.

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