Dengue Awareness 

About us      Reference     

• What are the symptoms of dengue?
• How does a dengue mosquito breed? 
• Why are dengue so dangerous?
• How can we prevent dengue?
• The origin of dengue
• The Treatment for dengue fever

What is dengue?Dengue is a debilitating viral disease of the tropics, transmitted by mosquitoes, and causing sudden fever and acute pains in the joints.Everyone is prone to get Dengue, no matter the age or gender, the virus can easily be transfer from a Dengue infected Female mosquitoes to a human through a sting.

Picture shows a infected Female mosquito Stinging a human.

Why is it such a big deal?

Why is dengue such a big deal?Its just a virus that will cause someone to have high fever! Right?Wrong!
That is the idea most people have about dengue,and that's also the reason why does the death rate cause by dengue is constantly rising.To be clear, dengue is not something to be taken lightly,dengue has infected approximately 528 people,and killed between 10,000 to 20,000 people annually.More importantly, theres is still no specific medicine or antibiotic to treat it ,which mean,if a patient with dengue is left untreated for a long period of time, the symptoms will eventually bested the body's immune system and the patient will die.
That why bit is important to be educated about dengue so that more people will understand and less people will suffer and die from it.

• What are the symptoms of dengue?
• How does a dengue mosquito breed? 
• Why are dengue so dangerous?
• How can we prevent dengue?
• The origin of dengue
• The Treatment for dengue fever

It is important that the society educated about the dangerous of dengue,so that the virus can stop spreading and killing people along the way ,by educating people on how to eliminate the breeding grounds, we can stop the growth of dengue from it roots, which is way more effective then cleaning up the mess later by inventing vaccine or treating the thousands of patient that are infected by dengue by the end of the day.Eventually eliminating the virus completely.

We from the CUCMS thank-you for reading our blog! If you like it please do drop a good comment for us to continue our writing and we will continue bringing you usefull and good contents every week! 

Thank you!

The Treatment for dengue fever

Treatment

Dengue is a virus, so there is no specific treatment or cure. However, intervention can help, depending on how severe the disease is.

For milder forms, treatment includes:

Preventing dehydration: A high fever and vomiting can dehydrate the body. The person should drink clean water, ideally bottled rather than tap water. Rehydration salts can also help replace fluids and minerals.

Painkillers, such as Tylenol or paracetamol: These can help lower fever and ease pain.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, are not advised, as they can increase the risk of internal bleeding.

More severe forms of dengue fever may need:

• intravenous (IV) fluid supplementation, or drip, if the person cannot take fluids by mouth
• blood transfusion, for patients with severe dehydration

Hospitalization will allow the individual to be properly monitored, in case symptoms get worse.

Rehydration salts, Tylenol, and paracetamol are available for purchase online.

The origin of dengue

The origin of dengue

The origins of the word dengue are not clear, but one theory is that it is derived from the Swahili phrase "Ka-dinga pepo", meaning "cramp-like seizure caused by an evil spirit". The Swahili word "dinga" may possibly have its origin in the Spanish word "dengue" meaning fastidious or careful, which would describe the gait of a person suffering the bone pain of dengue fever. Alternatively, the use of the Spanish word may derive from the similar-sounding Swahili. Slaves in the West Indies who contracted dengue were said to have the posture and gait of a dandy, and the disease was known as "Dandy Fever".

The first record of a case of probable dengue fever is in a Chinese medical encyclopedia from the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD) which referred to a “water poison” associated with flying insects. The first recognized Dengue epidemics occurred almost simultaneously in Asia, Africa, and North America in the 1780s, shortly after the identification and naming of the disease in 1779. The first confirmed case report dates from 1789 and is by Benjamin Rush, who coined the term "breakbone fever" because of the symptoms of myalgia and arthralgia.

The viral etiology and the transmission by mosquitoes were only deciphered in the 20th century. The socioeconomic impact of World War II resulted in increased spread globally. Nowadays, about 2.5 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, live in areas where there is a risk of dengue transmission (see figure 1). Dengue spread to more than 100 countries in Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, Africa, and the Caribbean

Figure 1. Average annual number of dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases reported to WHO and average annual number of countries reporting dengue (Source: World Health Organization)

How can we prevent dengue?

How can we prevent dengue?

As a mosquito-borne disease, preventing dengue is as simple as preventing mosquito bites. There is no approved dengue vaccine in the United States.

Many health organizations suggest the following to protect yourself from dengue:

• Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants.

• Treat clothes with repellents like permethrin.

• Use EPA-registered mosquito repellent like DEET.

• Consider using mosquito netting if you will be in an areas with many mosquitoes.

• Make sure windows and doors screens are closed to avoid allowing mosquitoes into inclosed spaces.

• Avoid areas with standing water. Especially at times of high mosquito activity like dawn and dusk.

Why are dengue so dangerous?

Why are dengue so dangerous?

Half a million patients are hospitalized each year, but most people recover after two to seven days. Some develop dengue hemorrhagic fever after the initial fever declines — a more severe form of the illness that can cause organ damage, severe bleeding, dehydration and even death. But with early treatment, the mortality rate for all dengue fever is currently fewer than 1 of 100 people.

• The World Health Organization estimates 50 million to 100 million infections a year (although a 2013 study suggests the number may be as high as 400 million).

Dengue is extremely dangerous! Base on the Worlds Health Organization (WHO) There are 390 million dengue infections per year! Mean while base on the World Mosquito Program,Dengue cause approximately 25,000 deaths annually worldwide.What makes these small mosquitoes so dangerous?The answer? Their fast Reproduction cycle.

A Mosquitoes life Cycle

A Fast Breeder

The mosquitoes can breed really,REALLY fast, an mosquito egg need only 7 days to turn into a fully grown mosquitoes.They are 4 stage to a mosquitoes life cycle,starting with egg, larva, pupa and ultimately adult.The main problem we are facing to eradicate the virus is the shear volume of the creature, if a infected mosquitoes laid eggs, they can lay up to 100 to 200 eggs at once, if all of those eggs hatch, they will be 100 to 200 mosquitoes that are infected by dengue,and the cycle carries on, infecting more and more people while increasing the number of infected mosquitoes at the same time!

-More than 100 eggs laid at once by just a mosquito!!!

This means getting rid of all the infected mosquitoes is impossible, the best that we can do is to get rid of them during their pupa stage!

Mosquitoes need calm, clear water to laid their eggs in, and these places are easy to find in our surrounding !

What are the symptoms for dengue?

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.