Treatments
for dengue fever
Because dengue is a virus there is no specific
treatment or cure, however there are things the patient or the doctor can do to
help, depending on the severity of the disease.
For milder forms of dengue fever the treatment
methods are:
§ Prevent
dehydration - high fever and vomiting can dehydrate the
body. Make sure you drink clean (ideally bottled) water rather than tap water.
Rehydration salts can also help replace fluids and minerals.
§ Painkillers -
this can help lower fever and ease pain. As some NSAIDs (non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen can increase the risk of
internal bleeding, patients are advised to use Tylenol (paracetamol) instead.
The following treatment options are designed for
the more severe forms of dengue fever:
§ Intravenous
fluid supplementation (IV drip) - in some harsher cases of dengue the patient is
unable to take fluids orally (via the mouth) and will need to receive an IV
drip.
§ Hospital
care -
it is important that you be treated by medical professionals, this way you can
be properly monitored (e.g. fluid levels, blood pressure) in case your symptoms
worsen. If the patient is cared for by physicians and nurses experienced with
the effects and complications of hemorrhagic fever, lives can be saved.
Prevention of dengue fever
At present there is no dengue
vaccine; one is currently in development. Even so, developing a vaccine to
protect against four closely related viruses that can cause the disease will
not be easy.
The best method of prevention is to
avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. If you live or travel to an area where dengue
fever exists, there a number of ways to avoid being bitten and we'll go through
those below.
Clothing
Your chances
of being bitten are significantly reduced if you expose as little skin as
possible. When in an area with mosquitoes, be sure to wear long trousers/pants,
long sleeved shirts, and socks. For further protection, tuck your pant legs
into your shoes or socks. Wear a hat.
Mosquito repellants
Be sure
to use one with at least 10% concentration of DEET, you will need a higher
concentration the longer you need the protection, avoid using DEET on young
children.
Use mosquito traps and nets
Studies
have shown that the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes is considerably reduced
if you use a mosquito net when you go to sleep. Untreated nets are
significantly less effective because the mosquito can bite the host through the
net if the person is standing next to it. Also, even tiny holes in the netting
are usually enough for the mosquito to find a way in. Nets that have been
treated with insecticide are much more protective. Not only does the
insecticide kill the mosquito and other insects, it is also a repellent - fewer
mosquitoes are likely to enter the room(s).
Smell
Avoid
wearing heavily scented soaps and perfumes.
Windows
Use
structural barriers, such as window screens or netting.
Camping
If you
are camping, treat clothes, shoes and camping gear with permethrin. There are
clothes which have been treated with permethrin.
Certain times of day
Try to
avoid being outside at dawn, dusk and early evening.
Stagnant water
The Aedes mosquito
prefers to breed in clean, stagnant water. It is important to frequently check
and remove stagnant water in your home/premises. Here are some tips for this:
§ Turn pails (buckets) and watering cans over; store
them under shelter so water cannot accumulate in them.
§ Remove the water from plant pot plates. To remove
mosquito eggs, clean and scrub them thoroughly. Ideally, do not use plant pot
plates.
§ Loosen soil from potted plants. This will prevent
puddles from developing on the surface of hard soil.
§ Make sure scupper drains are not blocked; do not
place potted plants and other objects over the scupper drains.
§ Gully traps that are rarely used should be covered;
replace gully traps with non-perforated ones, and install anti-mosquito valves.
§ Do not place receptacles under or on top of any
air-conditioning unit.
§ Flower vases - change the water every other day.
When you do so, scrub the inside of the vase thoroughly and rinse it out.
§ Leaves - make sure leaves are not blocking anything
which may result in the accumulation of puddles or stagnant water.
A
potential new dengue vaccine - the first to reach phase 3 clinical testing -
has demonstrated that it protects 56% of subjects from the disease, according
to research published in The Lancet.
Only the
female of the species of infection-spreading mosquitoes is a threat to humans -
the males do not need to provide for developing eggs by biting us for blood.
Our practical exploitation of this fact in a fight against tropical diseases
could now be possible following scientists' discovery of a genetic switch that
determines sex in the yellow fever mosquito.
According
to a new study published in the journal Science, researchers
have made a discovery that could lead to a vaccine and treatments for dengue
fever.
amazing !!!!!!!!!!
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