When in Manila, the rainy season is always associated with dengue. Cases of dengue infections are continually increasing especially in urban areas. In fact, some hospitals in Metro Manila are now looking for places to use as extra wards to accommodate the rising number of dengue patients. Sad news but all we can do right now is to protect our families from acquiring this lethal illness.
Aedes mosquito
Dengue fever is an infection that is transmitted through skin contact and bite of an Aedes mosquito which carries with any of the four viruses. It commonly occurs in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Symptoms appear after 3-14 days (4-7 on the average) after the infection. People of all ages can be a victim of this disease.
According to Eric Tayag, Chief of the DOH National Epidemiology Center, some of the symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, rashes, vomiting, stomach pains, nosebleed, and difficulty in breathing. If a family member/friend manifests any of these symptoms, it would be best to rush that person to the nearest hospital and have him/her consult a doctor for possible dengue infection.
Dengue fever symptom: rashes
When dengue fever is not prevented early on, it can lead to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). It is a potentially lethal complication with symptoms of fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and bleeding.
Symptoms of DHF
- High fever
- Sudden rise in temperature accompanied by facial flush
- convulsions
- bleeding in the intestines
- enlargement of liver
Apart from DHF, there is also Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) where DHF causes bleeding from the eyes, gums, nose, under the skin, or into the GI tract, vomiting, and black stools.
Care for patients with dengue
- Keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least 5 glasses of water for adults. It would also help to drink ion-energy drinks.
- Plenty of bed rest is needed.
- Some say juice extracted from pounded guava leaves helps increase platelets, though there are no approved therapeutic claims to back that up.
- Eat healthy and try to eat as much as you can despite loss of appetite.
There is no specific treatment for dengue, but prevention and immediate and appropriate medical attention for those already infected helps save many lives.
