Dengue Fever - Know the Ways Effective In Preventing It!

Are you aware of dengue, a fever which is currently on the rise? Dengue is a painful fever, which is caused by one of the four dengue viruses. It is a mosquito-borne disease. The virus which causes dengue is related to the yellow fever-causing virus. Dengue is also referred to as break bone fever. It is transmitted via the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with dengue. This type of fever has no proper cure and hence, prevention is the best policy.

Symptoms -
The symptoms of dengue start appearing four to six days after the infection. They include sudden, high fever, pain behind the eyes, fatigue, nausea, severe muscle and joint pain, skin rash, vomiting and mild bleeding in the nose or gums. In some cases, the symptoms are very mild and are commonly mistaken for another viral infection. Severe problems such as the dengue hemorrhagic fever may occur from the infection.

Treatment -
The juice from the leaves of carica papaya mixed with sucrose is given to a patient, which helps in increasing the count of platelets. This may lead to some movement.

Prevention - 

1. There is no vaccine, which immunizes dengue and the best way of prevention is to prevent yourself from getting bitten by infected mosquitoes, especially if you live in a tropical climate. The prevention tips include protecting yourself and making an effort to reduce the mosquito population. Here are some important prevention tips for dengue:
2. Stay away from residential areas which are very heavily populated.
3. Use mosquito repellents, even when you are at home.
4. Wear long sleeved clothes and long pants when going out.
5. Make sure that your windows and doors do not have holes in them. Use mosquito nets while sleeping, if you do not have an air conditioner.
6. Get rid of places and areas where mosquitoes can breed in order to reduce their population. These may include cans, old tyres and areas where rain water gets collected.
7. If someone at home gets dengue, you should make efforts to protect yourself and the rest of your family members. A mosquito, which bites an infected family member, may spread the infection to others as well.

In case you experience any symptom of dengue, it is important for you to consult a doctor immediately. He will be able to guide you with a proper diagnosis and treatment based on the latter.