dengue fever; Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

These days, the dengue disease is once again rising in Pakistan, from which Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and other provinces, especially the big cities of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Karachi are affected and the disease is increasing day by day. Is.

Unfortunately, this is due to lack of proper awareness and preventive measures and the common disease turns deadly and dangerous.

Dengue is actually an infection caused by a specific virus. This disease is spread by the bite of a specific female mosquito that has slightly longer legs than normal mosquitoes. By biting an infected person, the virus is transmitted to the mosquito and then if the mosquito bites another person, the virus is transmitted to him. Dengue fever is usually more common in people with weakened immune systems.

Four different types of viruses cause dengue fever in humans. A type of virus can attack only once. Second time dengue fever can be caused by other type of virus and thus any person can get this condition up to four times in a lifetime.

Another name of dengue fever is break bone fever. It is so named because during this fever the pain in the bones and muscles is so intense that the bones feel like they are breaking and the stage is painful.

This disease is found in tropical and subtropical regions and affects more than 10 million people worldwide every year. However, with timely treatment, the rate of recovery from this disease is very high and 99% of patients recover completely from it. That is, in less than one percent of people, it becomes fatal.

Unlike other mosquitoes, the mosquito that causes dengue fever is very clean. Instead of dirty ponds and ponds, this mosquito breeds in household water coolers, around tanks, containers filled with clean water, plant pots, bathrooms, and clean rainwater almost all year round. However, it breeds rapidly during the rainy season.

Usually, these mosquitoes attack at sunrise and sunset, but this is not necessary because mosquitoes can bite at any time of the day. The disease is transmitted to humans by just one bite of an infected mosquito. Here it is also important to understand that this disease is not directly transmitted from one person to another (from person to person), but the specific mosquito causes its death.

Therefore, it is important to control the mosquitoes instead of separating them from the dengue infected patient. Sometimes the patient is kept in isolation so that the mosquitoes do not spread the disease by biting the infected person. Dengue symptoms may appear within two to seven days of being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus.

These symptoms include high fever, chills, severe pain in the body and weakness, severe pain in the legs and joints during the illness, headache and especially severe pain behind the eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, these symptoms of dengue fever last two to four days. They end after living.

The patient sweats profusely and begins to feel normal, but this improvement lasts for about a day, after which the fever quickly rises again, accompanied by the appearance of fine rashes on the body. The face remains safe, but the palms and gums become swollen and red.

The severe form of dengue fever which can be very dangerous and fatal is called dengue hemorrhagic fever. Its prominent symptoms include severe pain behind the eyes, abdominal pain, and discharge of blood or blood-like fluids from various parts of the body, including teeth, gums, nose, urine, stool, and anus. The amount of platelets in the blood can be dangerously low.

This abnormal flow of blood can cause a drop in blood pressure. This condition is called Dengue Shock Syndrome, which can lead to death. In such a condition, the patient needs intensive care.

Dengue fever is diagnosed in two ways. From the patient’s symptoms and through laboratory tests. Initially it depends on the symptoms like fever, red rash on the skin, body aches and pain behind the eyes etc. A blood test shows a decrease in the number of platelets.

Another type of test is to identify antibodies in the blood against dengue. The most commonly used test is called Dengue IGM, IGG. This test may also be negative if done in early symptoms as it usually takes four to five days for this antibody to form and be identified in the body.

To treat this disease, the patient is given supportive therapy. He is advised to drink plenty of water and other beverages. Paracetamol may be needed. If the patient is not eating or drinking much, the drip should be applied. If the platelets become too low to cause bleeding, then a platelet drip is necessary.

The patient is continuously monitored to maintain normal blood pressure, temperature and circulatory system, and the patient should be kept in a medicated mosquito net. Various major hospitals have diagnostic, treatment and consultation facilities for this disease, which the general public can benefit from.

Prevention is definitely better than cure and preventing and preventing the spread of dengue fever is only possible if we stop the specific mosquito from thriving. Spray in places where these mosquitoes breed. In this way, arrangements should be made to remove the standing water. Mosquito nets should be used, water in pots should be changed daily. A qualified physician should be contacted immediately when symptoms of dengue appear.

If we take care of the cleanliness of the environment around us, we can avoid not only dengue fever but also many other diseases. Inshallah, if dengue fever is diagnosed, instead of panicking, proper and timely treatment should be taken with caution and preventive measures. In this way we can easily fight this disease.

If the virus re-attacks the infected person, it can be fatal. It is the duty of the government to spray where the water is standing and it is the duty of the people to protect such places and cover clean water in the houses.

Community health workers and NGOs should provide complete awareness to the public about this disease. The disease was first detected in 1979-80. When this epidemic spread simultaneously in three continents namely Asia, Africa and America. In 1994, people affected by it were seen for the first time in Pakistan.

Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that causes dengue virus, migrated from Latin America to Egypt. Dengue virus was first diagnosed in Asian countries in 1950.

The virus was first detected in the Philippines and Thailand, after which the dengue virus spread rapidly to more than 100 countries in India, Pakistan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Dengue virus was found in only nine countries before 1970. After 1995, the intensity of this virus accelerated, according to a report of the World Health Organization, two million people are infected with dengue virus every year.

There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes worldwide, and 70% of them are Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads the dengue virus. There are three types of these dangerous mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles and Culex. The specific mosquito that causes the dengue virus lays its eggs in clean water, water storage tanks, pots, drains, rainwater, lakes and stagnant water.

This mosquito does not lay eggs in 22 degree Celsius temperature, due to which the breeding process of these mosquitoes stops, however, the eggs laid by these mosquitoes remain safe and wait for the best season to breed their own species. From July to December, the eggs of these mosquitoes breed rapidly. However, their breeding stops in cold weather.

The female mosquito that causes the dengue virus needs protein to lay its eggs. In search of protein, the female mosquito obtains its food and protein by cutting animals in the enclosures of pets, buffaloes, 25 to 30 km away from the egg site, but if no animal is found, the female mosquito bites humans with its sting. It stings the area for 8 to 10 seconds and during this time the germ is transferred from mosquito to human.

The question is, what should we do first when dengue fever is suspected? Should every person with a fever run to the doctor or hospital? It has a similar effect on the body as the flu. Dengue fever is usually 104-105 degrees Fahrenheit. A blood test is required.

Even after the fever subsides in two to three days, patients often think that they have recovered, but during this time, a sudden drop in blood pressure can lead to a new problem. Meanwhile, the virus attacks the blood platelets and damages them, a condition known as “hemorrhagic fever”. The platelets work together to stop the blood from flowing.

Lack of platelets in the body can sometimes be life-threatening. Both Dengue and Corona are deadly diseases, government patronage, effective strategy and comprehensive planning along with preventive measures can help in preventing them.