Dengue Fever Treatment

Dengue Fever Treatment

Dengue Fever Treatment

Dengue Fever Treatment

Experts claim that there is no specific treatment for dengue. However, assistance from doctors and nurses who have experience with the effects and progression of the disease is essential to save lives and reduce death rates.

Generally speaking, Dengue fever treatment for benign forms is done with anti-inflammatories, antipyretics, and rest. In severe forms, electrolyte balance is restored, and if bleeding occurs, a blood transfusion and control of platelet counts may be required.

What is it?

What is it? Dengue Fever Treatment Dengue is a disease caused by a virus in the flavivirus family. Man is the host and a mosquito of the genus Aedes is the vector that causes transmission through its bite.

Incidence:

The World Health Organization (WHO) points out that in the last decades the incidence of dengue has increased enormously in the world. According to estimates, 390 million infections occur each year, of which 96 million are clinically manifested (the rest are asymptomatic).

The regions of the world in which the most cases are registered are Central America, the Caribbean, the north of the Southern Cone, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Causes Of Dangue?

Dengue virus is spread by female mosquitoes, mainly of the species Aedes aegypti and, to a lesser extent, A. albopictus. In addition, these mosquitoes also transmit chikungunya fever, yellow fever, and Zika virus infection.

A case of sexual transmission has been described, but it is very rare. The majority form of contagion is through mosquito bites.

Symptoms Of Dangue

Fernando de la Calle, a specialist in Tropical Medicine and Traveler of the Hospital La Paz-Carlos III (Madrid), describes the main manifestations of dengue in the following way: "It is a feverish condition with a skin rash and muscle pain, among others. Dengue symptoms begin after an incubation period that can vary from five to eight days after the bite, and people often have:

.High fever.

 

.Nausea and vomiting

 

.Rash on the skin.

 

.Blood in the gums and nose.

 

.General weakness.

 

.Joint and muscle pain.

-

.Cough.

 

Sore throat.

Prevention

From the WHO they affirm that the only way to control or prevent the transmission of the dengue virus is to fight against the vector mosquitoes:

Maintaining the environment is essential to prevent mosquitoes from finding places to lay their eggs.

 

Properly dispose of solid waste and possible artificial habitats.

 

Clean and empty every week the containers in which water is stored for domestic use. In addition, apply suitable insecticides to the tanks in which it stores water outdoors.

 

On the other hand, in the areas most affected by transmitting mosquitoes, mosquito nets should be used on the windows and long-sleeved clothing should be used.

 

Biological fumigations of stagnant areas and of products that can bring mosquitoes (woods and tires, for example).

Types

There are two types of dengue:

Classic dengue, which does not usually present many complications, since the body tends to recover completely with the proper care.

 

Severe dengue (previously known as dengue hemorrhagic fever), which is caused by the Den 1, Den 2, Den 3 and Den 4 sereotypes, the incubation period of which is between five and eight days. It is a serious manifestation and can cause the death of the patient because tachycardias, bone pain, bleeding, altered blood pressure, circulatory failure or dehydration may appear.

Diagnosis

There are several tests that can be done to confirm the diagnosis of this disease, such as a laboratory test to measure the level of antibodies through a blood sample, a complete blood count, or liver function tests.

But, although the final diagnosis is made in the laboratory, the initial detection of infected people depends on the clinical evaluation of the symptoms they present. In this regard, Fernando María Navarro Pellicer, Master in Tropical Medicine and Parasitic Diseases and member of the Infectious Diseases Group of the Spanish Society of General and Family Doctors (SEMG), highlights that the symptoms of dengue "are similar to a flu, but it is distinguished by increased muscle pain, lymphadenopathy without enlargement of the spleen and liver, eye pain, photophobia and dissociation of the pulse (that is, low pulse for a high fever. "In addition, he adds that" after six days it can a light rash appears "and that the convalescence" is long and with asthenia ".

Other data:

The best knowledge of dengue, individual and collective preventive measures and, in the words of Navarro Pellicer, "the application of a vaccine in epidemic areas", are the main assets to tackle and l progression of this disease.

Regarding the vaccine, the SEMG expert points out that the WHO "has authorized a vaccine called Dengvaxia and there are others under study. The vaccine is reserved for areas with high epidemic rates."