It is only spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito not from person to person.
What is the treatment? Is it
curable?
Like most viral diseases there is no specific cure for dengue fever. Paracetamol is the drug of choice
to bring down fever and joint pain. Other medicines
such as Aspirin and Brufen should be avoided since they
can increase the risk of bleeding.Patients should take
rest, drink plenty of fluids (including ORS) and eat nutritious
diet.
Is there a vaccine to prevent dengue fever?
A vaccine has been developed to prevent dengue fever but it is still under trial.
When should a patient suffering from Dengue go to the hospital or consult a doctor?
The signs and symptoms that should be looked for
are severe pain in the abdomen, persistent vomiting, bleeding
from any site like, bleeding in the skin appearing as
small red or purplish spots, nose bleed, bleeding from
gums, passage of black stools
like coal tar. This bleeding indicates dengue hemorrhagic fever which is a potentially lethal complication.
Take the patient to hospital whenever
the first two signs, namely, severe pain in the abdomen
and persistent vomiting are detected. Usually it is too
late if we wait until bleeding has occurred.
How can the multiplication of
mosquitoes be reduced?
Dengue mosquitoes breed in stored, exposed water
collections. Favoured places for breeding are barrels,
drums, jars, pots, buckets, flower vases, plant saucers,
tanks, discarded bottles, tins, tyres, water coolers etc.
To prevent the mosquitoes from multiplying, drain out
the water from desert coolers/window air coolers (when
not in use), tanks, barrels, drums, buckets etc. Remove
all objects containing water ( e.g. plant saucers etc.)
from the house. Collect and destroy discarded containers
in which water collects e.g. bottles, plastic bags, tins,
used tyres etc.
In case it is not possible to drain out various water
collections or to fully cover them use insecticide to
prevent larvae from developing into adults.
How can I protect myself from
mosquito bites to prevent dengue fever?
There is no way to tell if a mosquito is carrying the
dengue virus .
Therefore, people must protect themselves from all mosquito
bites.
Dengue mosquitoes bite during the daytime. Highest
biting intensity is about 2 hours after sunrise and before
sunset.
Wear full sleeves clothes and long dresses to cover as
much of your body as possible.
Use repellents
Use mosquito coils and electric vapour mats during the daytime also to prevent dengue. Use mosquito nets to protect children, old people and others who may rest during the day. The effectiveness of these nets can be improved by treating them with permethrin (pyrethroid insecticide) .
