Understanding Dengue

Dengue fever is an Arboviral disease meaning it is an infection caused by a group of viruses that are spread by the bite-infected mosquitoes and ticks. The Aedes genus of mosquitoes, found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is responsible for the transmission of dengue fever. You will notice such diseases more in the warmer seasons as these insects are more active. Dengue is a viral disease caused by any of the four related viruses: dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The Different Types of Dengue Fever

 Dengue virus triggers your immune system and causes fever.There are 4 distinct serotypes of the dengue virus: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. They are all RNA viruses belonging to the Flavivirus family/genus. All these subtypes can cause severe infections. However, research has shown specific serotypes to be more harmful, especially DENV-1 or DENV-2.

Dengue fever is classified into three types, depending upon its severity:

• Dengue Fever – the primary infection, which is usually benign
• Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)
• Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS).

Based on your clinical signs, your doctor can diagnose which type of dengue fever you are affected by.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include

• Sudden, high fever
• Severe headaches
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe joint and muscle pain
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
• Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)

Sometimes, symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the flu or another viral infection. Younger children and people who have never had the infection before tend to have milder cases than older children and adults. However, serious problems can develop. These include dengue hemorrhagic fever, a rare complication characterized by high fever, damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Diagnosing Dengue Fever

Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it. If you become sick after traveling to a tropical area, let your doctor know. This will allow your doctor to evaluate the possibility that your symptoms were caused by a dengue infection.

Treatment for Dengue Fever

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications.

Is Platelet count very important?

Contrary to the popular public opinion, platelet counts are not important for the child’s treatment. Platelet tends to decrease during infection and increase during recovery. Administering platelets doesn’t hasten recovery. However, rarely doctor might order platelets when there is visible bleeding.

It is not the drop in platelet count, but the drop in blood pressure which can be fatal.

It makes more sense to follow up marker of leakage called hematocrit rather than platelet count. Further level of platelet count doesn’t predict if the child is going to be sick. It is best to prevent paranoia around platelet count and running around blood banks for get platelets.

For people with severe dengue, hospitalization is often needed.

Preventing Dengue Fever

 The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by infected mosquitoes, particularly if you are living in or traveling to a tropical area. This involves protecting yourself and making efforts to keep the mosquito population down. Eat some fruits like pomegranate, papaya, kiwi fruit etc for increasing blood platelet count.

• Kiwi fruit, fig, Pomogranates, papaya etc( these will increase the blood count )
• Juice made from young leaves of papaya.(daily have one time 5ml or 3ml- continue for 3-5 days).