What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue fever is caused by a virus carried by mosquitoes in tropical areas. The virus can
cause symptoms like fever, headaches, rashes, and pain throughout the body.
Dengue Causes and Symptoms
Dengue fever is transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with the dengue
virus.
When an Aedes mosquito bites a person who has already been infected with a dengue virus,
the mosquito can also become a carrier of the virus. If this mosquito then goes on to bite
someone else, the person gets infected by the dengue fever. This virus however cannot
spread directly from person to person.
In some rare cases, dengue fever can lead to a very serious form of the disease called
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever or DHF. This form of dengue can end up being life-threatening
and needs to be treated immediately.
While symptoms of dengue in kids and those who are experiencing the disease for the first
time are mild, older kids, adults, and those who have had a previous infection may have
moderate to severe symptoms.
Below are some common signs and symptoms of dengue in kids that a parent should look
out for
• High fever, can even be as high as 105 degrees f- In most cases, dengue fever in
children begins with flu-like symptoms like high-grade fever, runny nose, cough, and
weakness.
• Severe headache- Affected children may experience variations of physical discomfort
like headache, dull throbbing pain behind their eyes, muscle and joint aches, etc.
• Change in behavior- Children may exhibit more irritability and fussiness than usual.
His appetite will drop and a change in sleep pattern can also be observed.
• Rashes over the body- A common symptom of dengue fever is an itchy skin rash that
appears in patches. Another symptom to look out for is a constant itch that can
appear on the soles of feet.
• Bleeding from the nose or gums
• Mild bruising
Generally, the dengue symptoms and signs like fever, rash, and headache often referred to
as the dengue triad is characteristic of dengue.
Another name for dengue fever is also dandy fever or break-bone fever owing to the severe
bone and muscle pain it can cause. Often the pain can be so bad that it can feel equivalent
to bones breaking.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Dengue Fever

The symptoms of dengue fever can be observed from 4 days to 2 weeks post being bitten by
an infected mosquito, and generally lasts for about 2 to 7 days. Often the period after the
fever begins to subside is crucial for those people with DHF (dengue hemorrhagic fever).
Severe bleeding, gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting or severe abdominal pain,
and respiratory problems like difficulty in breathing. Also, a drop in blood pressure,
dehydration, and heavy bleeding can happen if DHF goes untreated. These symptoms are
life-threatening and need immediate medical attention.

How Is Dengue Fever Diagnosed?

If you think your child is exhibiting any of the above symptoms and you suspect he/she has
dengue fever, then please contact your doctor right away.
To make a diagnosis, the doctor will physically examine your child and evaluate the
symptoms. Do inform your doctor if your child has been to a region recently that has dengue
fever and has a fever or severe headache. The doctor will send a blood sample to the
diagnostic lab for testing, which will help to confirm whether your child has dengue fever or
not.

Treatment of Dengue fever

Currently, there is no specific treatment for dengue fever. However, in most cases, dengue
fever goes away within a few days to a month. But if someone has severe symptoms,
medical attention must be sought immediately, as it could be signs of DHF which can be life-
threatening,
There are a couple of ways in which you can reduce the discomfort caused by dengue fever
and speed up your child’s recovery from this illness.
• Make sure your child is drinking enough fluids and water along with healthy meals.
Ensuring that your child sleeps well is essential for his recovery. A healthy diet and
sufficient rest will help strengthen his immunity and destroy the virus.
• Pain relievers like acetaminophen may be prescribed if your child is experiencing
unbearable muscle and joint aches associated with dengue fever. Also, pain relievers
like aspirin or ibuprofen should be avoided, as they can make bleeding happen.
To treat severe cases of dengue fever, doctors will give intravenous fluids and electrolytes to
replace fluids lost through vomiting or diarrhea. If administered on time, this is sufficient to
treat the disease in severe cases of dengue fever. However, in some advanced cases, a
blood transfusion may be needed.
• There are also a number of home remedies that can help improve your child’s platelet
count and immunity. Giloy and guava juice to build immunity, papaya leaf juice to
increase platelet count, are some ways in which you can fight dengue fever
effectively.
• Including generous amounts of immunity building foods in your child’s diet, like citrus
fruits, almonds, turmeric, garlic, etc will help in strengthening your little ones' immunity
and aid in quick recovery.
Lastly, efforts must be made to keep the infected child from being bitten by any mosquitoes
as this will help in preventing the spread of dengue fever to others.

Can Dengue Fever Be Prevented?

As there are no vaccinations to prevent dengue fever, the best protection is to ensure that
your child does not get bitten by an infected mosquito. Prevention is better than cure when it
comes to dengue fever and there are several ways in which you can protect yourself and
your family from this illness
1. Use screen meshes on door frames and windows to keep mosquitoes out without
compromising on the ventilation aspect. Ensure good quality screens are installed,
which are less likely to rip as mosquitoes can make way into your house even
through the smallest possible opening. Also, fix any tears in the mesh or broken and
damaged screens as soon as possible. All unscreened windows and doors must be
kept closed.

2. Ensure kids are wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes, and socks, whenever
they step outside the house.

3. Even one mosquito is enough to cause dengue fever. Hence we should ensure that
all are killed without even leaving one behind. To keep your family protected use
a mosquito repellent in lotion or spray .
4. Limit outdoor activities of kids especially in the hours around dawn and dusk when
mosquitoes are most active. Keep the kids engage with fun indoor activities like board
games etc.
5. Don’t give mosquitoes places to breed in. They lay their eggs in stagnant water, so
get rid of any sources of standing water like containers, mugs, basins, pots, buckets
including draining sinks and bathtubs too. Ensure that the water is removed or
covered.