International Public Health Forum

How to fight Dengue? Causes and Prevention of Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a flu kind of illness spread by mosquito bites. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the dengue family virus. This is also widely known as 'Break bone fever' due to the severe joint pain caused during the attack. Dengue can be diagnosed by blood test. The infected person as such cannot spread the infection but can be a source to spread it.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is often complicated and severe. This rather can be termed as a complication dengue fever. Those bitten by the mosquito can get dengue fever and those already infected once if infected again are prone to higher risk of getting dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Dengue is an infectious disease causing frequent epidemics. There are various factors that contribute like lack of effective mosquito control, lack of public health systems to control the epidemic, the increase usage of plastic items which are the breeding sites of the mosquitoes.


Dengue is spread by the bite of an 'Ades' Mosquito. This mosquito bites the infected person and then bites someone else who is not affected thus transmitting the infection. These mosquitoes are active during the day time and spread the infection during day time. These mosquitoes live among human beings and breed in discarded tyres, flower pots, water stores etc.

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Dengue fever starts suddenly accompanied by headache, severe joint pain ,rashes, nausea and lack of appetite. The illness can last up to 10 days and the complete recovery could take about four to six weeks. Widely the dengue infections result in relatively mild illness however in some cases it may lead to the dengue hemorrhagic fever. In the complicated stage the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding through mouth, nose and gums. This is most prevalent among children and young adults. This stage requires close medical attention.

Treatment for Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic fever

As far as the treatment is concerned there is no specific course, However the affected person is treated with Paracetamol to bring down the fever. The person is usually adviced to drink lots of fluids. The infected person should be isolated until recovery from the rest of the family to prevent further infections.

Although there is no vaccine to prevent this epidemic certain preventive measures as specified below can be taken to control the epidemic.

Preventive Measures to control Dengue Fever

* Use mosquito repellents.
* discard all unwanted items getting gathered around the living area to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes.
* Keep the water stores clean and closed.
* keep yourself well covered when outside.
* Take prompt medical advice once fever starts.

Very informative, thanks for the post....
Dengue fever of multiple types is found in most countries of the tropics and subtropics particularly during and after rainy season. It has been seen repeatedly in Texas and Hawaii in this country.

The symptoms of classic dengue usually start within a week after being infected. They include very high fever, up to 105°F, severe headache, pain behind the eye, severe joint and muscle pain, nausea and vomiting and a rash.

I never knew Dengue fever was present in the United States. I know you mentioned Texas but is it also present in the other southern states like Florida and the Gulf Coast? I always assumed it was farther towards the equator in the tropics. It sounds like a horrific disease.

Dengue is a fatal disease which is caused by the mosquito. It's dangerous because it can be easily transferred from one people to other. You can find detailed information about dengue here Dengue Facts. Also for more health information you can follow health fitness blog. I hope it will be beneficial to you guys.

Congratulations Admin, Please spread the knowledge on dengue.
Is it possible that someone could hold antibodies that can make them immune to a pathogen such as, say Dengue Fever?

Dengue virus transmits through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes.The time between the bite of a mosquito carrying dengue virus and the start of symptoms averages 4 to 6 days, with a range of 3 to 14 days. An infected person cannot spread the infection to other persons but can be a source of dengue virus for mosquitoes for about 6 days.There is no specific treatment for dengue. Persons with dengue fever should rest and drink plenty of fluids. They should be kept away from mosquitoes for the protection of others. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is treated by replacing lost fluids. Some patients need transfusions to control bleeding.

Prevention:

There is only one way to avoid dengue, prevent mosquito bites, especially during the daytime when dengue mosquitoes attack. According to WHO, highest biting intensity is about 2 hours after sunrise and before sunset. Since there is no way to tell if a mosquito is carrying the dengue virus, we must keep ourselves protected from mosquito bites. Here are some tips to follow:

1. Dispose or destroy containers in which water easily collects bottles, plastic bags, tins, used tires, and so on.
2. Spray insecticides in your home regularly. Spray Eco-friendly and health friendly insecticide.
3. Use repellent every time you head outdoors. Follow the instructions on the package you are using .
4. Install screens on your windows to keep mosquitoes out.
5. Outdoors, use mosquito coils which can provide up to 8-10 hours protection from mosquitoes.

Dengue fever is a flu kind of illness spread by mosquito bites.It is caused by a mosquito called “Ades”. It Symptoms are lack of appetite,headache, High Fever,severe joint pain and muscle pain etc.It is diagnosed by a blood test.So if any people found this type of symptoms go for a blood test.

Interesting observation i made about using mosquito repellents in the tropics is that it is better to bring your own from the temperate zone because the local products never work as well. mosquito are just not used to chemicals from other parts of the world.

Thanks to give this useful information.Dengue fever starts suddenly accompanied by headache, severe joint pain ,rashes, nausea and lack of appetite.Dengue is an infectious disease causing frequent epidemics. There are various factors that contribute like lack of effective mosquito control, lack of public health systems to control the epidemic.