Being a teen in a tropical country like Sri Lanka makes you very prone to dengue fever, which can be almost debilitating and even life threatening if not attended immediately. Dengue fever is an infection caused by dengue virus, of which there are four types. Though not exactly the same, they’re related to each other. These viruses are spread by mosquitoes, causing high fever and severe body aches.
Although it’s a fever caused by a virus it is still very different from a simple viral fever, as it is known to cause major problems and even death. An ordinary viral fever usually doesn’t cause severe problems to patients other than a few days of fever and body aches.
Dengue causes severe complications called DENGUE LEAKAGE SYNDROME and DENGUE HAEMORRHAGIC SYNDROME. These complications can cause very low blood pressure and bleeding, often resulting in many deaths amongst teenagers in Sri Lanka.
The majority of people who develop dengue have just fever and body aches. Some do not even realise they’ve got the disease. However, few people do develop deadly problems and unfortunately doctors cannot predict who would develop these issues at the very beginning of the illness. But these issues can be picked up if you see your doctor regularly and without delay.
In severe cases of dengue, the body has to put up a battle against the Dengue virus. The immune system wages war against viruses and this is when you get fever and body pains. This battle may cause damage to structures in your body. For example, blood platelets and white blood cells get destroyed. Platelets are essential for blood clotting and lack of platelets causes bleeding. And when the fever goes down, the walls of the very small blood vessels called capillaries could leak for about 48 hours. When this leakage occurs, water and small molecules such as proteins known as Albumin can go out of the blood vessels into the chest and abdominal cavities. This causes the development of very thick blood as well as very low blood pressure. In some rare cases, these viral attacks can cause patients to develop problems in the heart, liver and brain.
Those afflicted by mild cases of dengue without the complications usually get better after 5 to 7 days of fever. They usually start eating well and eventually feel better.
But severe cases of dengue causes patients to feel very weak and ill even if the fever subsides. This is the most important indicator of severe dengue and it usually happens on the 5th to 7thday, and in some cases even on the 3rd day. So if you feel even worse after the fever subsides, you should immediately go to nearest hospital.
People most prone to severe cases of dengue include pregnant women, babies, older people, people who are obese, people who have diabetes, kidney failure, or other blood diseases. Doctors would observe them for severe symptoms and treat them immediately. People who live alone or far from a doctor’s office or hospital might also need to stay in the hospital. That way, they can be treated right away if they get very sick.
The fever is spread by mosquitos that carry the dengue virus. Sri Lanka’s hot and humid weather provide the ideal conditions for the breeding of dengue carrying mosquitos. Old tires, coconut husks, improperly discarded containers or anything that collects stagnant water can be a breeding place for the dengue carrying mosquito. If you live next to unhygienic environments such as garbage dumps, clogged drains and canals, swampy marshlands or anywhere else where mosquitos breed, you’re highly likely to be infected by the dengue virus.
Symptoms usually show between 4 to 7 days after a bite from a mosquito that carries dengue virus, but can also appear up to 14 days after being bitten. These symptoms usually last between 5 to 7 days.
Dengue fever symptoms may vary from one person to the other. Some may be mild while others severe. These symptoms include:
●high fever, sometimes with shivers
●headache
●pain behind the eyes
●severe joint and muscle pain
●feeling tired, sometimes for days and weeks
●rashes in the form of flat purple areas or small bumps, sometimes itchy - rashes are common in people who have not been infected by the dengue virus before
●stomach problems, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
●cough, sore throat and stuffy nose.
●small purple spots on the skin or bowel movements that look black
●red eyes
If you’ve had dengue fever in the past and get infected with a different dengue virus, you have the highest risk of severe symptoms. Symptoms of severe cases of dengue might include:
●bad belly pain
●fainting when getting up from the bed
●feeling drowsy and severely weak
●vomiting and not being able to eat
●not passing urine even while drinking enough fluids
●chest pains or difficulty in breathing, and also small purple spots on the skin
●vomiting blood
●nosebleeds
●black bowel movements
●severe headache and seizures
●bleeding between menstrual periods
If you get very high fever with shivers and severe body aches along with the above mentioned features, you should immediately see a doctor.
Yes. A doctor might be able to tell if you have dengue fever by learning about the symptoms and doing a clinical examination.. The doctor can also carry out blood tests to find the dengue viruses. He or she will even do a simple blood count. You may get a total blood count done yourself, too. If you see a white cell count lower than normal, with a low platelet count when you have fever, and if you experience the above mentioned symptoms, it’s very likely to be dengue.
Your doctor can treat you if you’ve been diagnosed with severe dengue, ONLY if you come to hospital before it’s too late.
Most of the dengue-related deaths in Sri Lanka occur due to late hospital admissions.
There is no treatment for the virus that causes dengue fever, but doctors can treat the symptoms.
Very sick people can be treated in the hospital.
Treatments include:
●Treating fever, vomiting and body aches with medicines
●Getting fluids through saline infusions
●Blood transfusions - if the infection causes severe bleeding,your doctor can give you blood that someone else has donated.
In most mild cases, patients who are not very sick can usually rest at home after a doctor decides it’s safe to do so.
If you have dengue fever, you might need to see a doctor or nurse every day until you get better. The doctor or nurse will carry out blood tests and check your blood pressure. These checkups are important because dengue fever can cause sudden complications. Your doctor can observe you, and treat you early should these complications arise.
If your doctor says you don’t need to go to a hospital, stay at home, get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids.
You can also take Paracetamol to relieve the fever and aches.
DO NOT take aspirin or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, Diclofenac Sodium or naproxen. These medicines can increase the risk of fatal bleeding in people with dengue fever. Always keep this in mind because when you have severe body aches, you may be very tempted to take these tablets.
NSAIDs may be good painkillers but should never be used when having dengue.
- Be very careful how you discard garbage and be responsible.
- The flower vases and ant traps can also be ideal breeding grounds for Dengue mosquitos.
- Drain any stagnant water near your home, such as wading pools and buckets. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Especially check your gutters and roof rails.
- Wear shoes, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when going outsideUse bug spray or cream that contains mosquito repellents when you are outside. Check the label to make sure.
- Stay inside during the day, when dengue-carrying mosquitos are most active. They commonly feed in the mornings and late afternoons.
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It’s the duty of all citizens to take part in measures that prevent this deadly disease.As the lifeline of this nation, we can take the lead in preventing dengue by setting an example.