Dengue is caused from the bite of the  Aedes Aegypti  mosquito. This mosquito has been known to breed and survive in tropical and subtropical regions. A waterborne disease, it causes extreme discomfort and pain, even death is a possibility. Statistics suggest that each year, the number of people afflicted with dengue is around 390 million. Out of this huge number, 96 million tend to develop severe illnesses wherein hospitalization becomes mandatory. 


Causes
It is primarily caused due to the bite of the  Aedes aegypti  mosquito.
A mosquito becomes infected with dengue if it bites an already infected person. The disease can be transmitted to any healthy person that this infected mosquito bites next.
Living near a stagnant water body or an open drain makes you the most vulnerable to this disease. Letting water accumulate in open containers or spaces over a period of time makes it the perfect breeding ground for all types of mosquitoes. 


Symptoms
On being infected, the symptoms generally last for around 10 days. Some of the common symptoms are:
Excruciating pain behind the eyes
Severe headache
Sudden high fever with chills
Vomiting
Fatigue
Skin rash which generally appears two to five days after you get infected
Nose bleeding, easy bruising and bleeding gums
Severe muscle and joint pain


It should be noted that these symptoms can be easily mistaken for high fever or any other viral infection. Therefore, getting tested as soon as these symptoms start appearing is very important.


If the dengue is left untreated or not treated on time, it can result in dengue haemorrhagic fever. This condition causes nose bleeding (due to damage to the blood vessels), high fever and failure of the circulatory system as well as the enlargement of liver.


Ways to prevent dengue include
Avoid storing water in containers
Wear clothes that cover your whole body, if possible
Maintain hygiene and clean your immediate surrounding frequently
Use mosquito repellent
Use a mosquito net around your bed 


In worst case scenarios, death is a possibility as a result of dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock. Many countries consider dengue to be an epidemic. You need to be on complete bed rest while drinking adequate amounts of fluids if you need to recuperate from dengue.


Treatment
There is no specific antiviral medication that is available for the treatment of dengue. In general, Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is usually recommended for treating fever and pain associated with dengue. Medications such as Aspirin, other salicylates, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) must be avoided.

Dengue - Can You Prevent Yourself from it?

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to people by the bite of an infectious mosquito known as Aedes Aegypti. The chikungunya infection is most prevalent in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Indian Ocean islands, where various incidents of these disease and certain outbreaks have occurred over the years.

Humans and different animals are the regular hosts for the chikungunya virus, which can turn out to be very painful if it is not treated on time with proper medical care and intervention. The virus is spread to people by the bite of a female mosquito called Aedes aegypti or Aedes Albopictus. These are the same tropical and sub-tropical mosquitoes that spread the dengue virus. They breed in or close to human habitations and want to feed on people during the daytime in shady zones. These are likely to bite you at during the early hours of the evening or at night. The hatching time frame (time from disease to sickness) can be anywhere between two to 12 days.

Symptoms: Chikungunya infection is characterised by the following symptoms:

1. High or blazing fever
2. Extreme joint pain for the most part in the arms and legs
3. Headache
4. Pain in the muscle
5. Pain in the back
6. Body ache
7. Rash (in about 50% of the infected people)

A vast majority begins to feel better following 7 to 10 days but a few people will go through longer term joint pain.

Treatment:

1. There is no particular medicine to prevent chikungunya. There is no antibiotic that can help in doing away with it - it usually abates on its own. Chikungunya treated on the basis of a patient's symptoms. However, there are some precautions and alternate medications that can be used as a cure.

2. Bed rest, liquids, and medication to soothe side effects of fever and hurting. Asprin should be avoided.

3. Personal protection and a hygienic environment is important to prevent the growth of the illness.

Since this virus does not have a vaccine or any particular medicine, one should try to stay away from mosquitos as much as possible. Covering yourself up while travelling, especially in the evening is the best approach to prevent it.

Preventive Tips and Treatment for Chikungunya

The rains almost always bring about a plethora of diseases with fevers of different kinds. Dengue, typhoid and chikungunya can be regarded as the top three tropical fevers and diagnosing them sometimes become quite tricky as all of them have similar symptoms and the laboratory tests are not always precise. The best you can do is be aware of the early symptoms and signs as successful treatment is heavily dependent on the detection of early symptoms of the fever you are suffering from.

Dengue

Causes: Dengue is considered as a serious viral ailment and is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This fever occurs in two varieties, uncomplicated fever and the more serious haemorrhagic fever. The latter is the second leading form of the viral disease, leading to bleeding and shock and in the most severe instances. It can also be fatal, especially for children.
Symptoms: The symptoms may vary as per the age and physical condition of the patient. If you are affected with a sudden onset of very high fever along with headaches, rashes and pain behind the eyes, with loss of appetite and vomiting tendencies, then you must consult a doctor. It can also cause weak pulses, difficulty in breathing, restlessness and bleeding from the nose or gums along with blotchiness under the skin.

Typhoid
Causes: Typhoid is a bacterial ailment and mainly occurs due to unhygienic toilet habits, impure drinking water, and it can be transmitted to others through flies, food, faeces, touch and fornication.
Symptoms: The most common symptoms of typhoid fever include high fever, rashes all over the skin, cough, headache and loss of appetite. You may also experience coated tongue, malaise and diarrhoea or constipation. In case you are experiencing any of these signs, then you must seek medical help.

Chikungunya
Causes: Chikungunya fever is a viral ailment that is transmitted to human beings by infected mosquito bites. It is the leading cause of human epidemics in some parts of the African and Asian continents and it has now recently moved to some parts of Europe.
Symptoms: The chikungunya virus infection leads to symptoms that may be debilitating for some people. Fever, rash, fatigue and headaches along with muscle and joint pains are some of the most common symptoms of chikungunya. Some patients have reported excruciating joint pain and arthritis that can last for a week or even months together.

If you are faced with any of these symptoms for over three to four days, then you should not ignore them and seek medical assistance without any delay.

3 Tropical Fevers - How to Differentiate Between Them?

With viral fever on the rise it is advisable to prevent yourself against dengue and chikungunya. Dengue is caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and rash. The presence of fever, rash, and headache is particularly characteristic of dengue.

Most common symptoms of dengue are:
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 nosebleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)
How to diagnose and prevent against dengue?
Diagnosing dengue fever: Blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it .IgG AND IgM for Dengue Fever.

Prevention against dengue fever:

Stay away from heavily populated residential areas, if possible.
Use mosquito repellents, even indoors.
When outdoors, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
When indoors, use air conditioning if available.
Make sure window and door screens are secure and free of holes. If sleeping areas are not screened or air conditioned, use mosquito nets.

Role of Ayurveda in treating dengue
Ayurveda treats a person as a whole, it means that Ayurvedic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The treatment is selected after a full individual examination and case analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient physical &amp; mental constitution, family history, presenting symptoms, underlying pathology etc. An Ayurveda practitioner tries to treat more than just the presenting symptoms. The focus is not on curing the disease, but to cure the person who is sick; to restore for health. If a disease pathology is not very advanced Ayurvedic remedies; give a hope for cure; even in incurable case the quality of life can be greatly improved with Ayurvedic remedies.

Prevent Your Loved Ones Against Dengue

With the change of season, we all have to be geared up for the increase in the number of mosquitoes in and around our homes, and among these is one such mosquito, which can be fatal for your life. The bite of the  Aedes aegypti  mosquito causes Dengue. This mosquito survives and breeds in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is a waterborne disease and causes extreme pain, discomfort and in some cases even death. Each year 390 million people are inflicted with dengue out of which 96 million develop serious illnesses and are required to be hospitalized.

Causes:
1. As mentioned above it is caused by the bite of the  Aedes aegypti  mosquito.
2. When a mosquito bites a person who already has dengue, it becomes infected and it can be transmitted to any healthy person this mosquito bites next.
3. If you already have dengue and are infected again then you have a higher chance of developing dengue hemorrhagic fever or a dengue shock which can even cause death.
4. Living near a stagnant water body, or accumulating water in open containers, staying in the vicinity of clogged drains and open windows can also expose you to the threat of Dengue.

Symptoms:
The symptoms can last to about 10 days after one gets infected. The symptoms are as follows:
1. Excruciating pain behind the eyes
2. Severe headache
3. Sudden high fever.
4. Vomiting
5. Fatigue
6. Skin rash which generally appears two to five days after you get bitten.
7. Nose bleeding, easy bruising and bleeding gums.
8. Severe muscle and joint pain.

These symptoms can be mistaken for high fever or viral infection, so it is important to get tested as soon as you start experiencing these symptoms. If dengue is not treated in time, it can give rise to dengue hemorrhagic fever. In this case, you can suffer from high fever, nose bleeding (damage of blood vessels), failure of the circulatory system and enlargement of liver.

You can also prevent dengue by avoiding storing water in containers, keeping your surroundings clean, wearing full body clothing, using mosquito repellants, sleeping under a mosquito net and setting mosquito traps. Dengue is very devastating and can cause death in worse cases as in dengue shock or dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue is now an epidemic in many countries. People affected with dengue need to drink a lot of fluids and take plenty of rest. They can also reduce the fever by having a paracetamol.

Dengue - Signs You Must Be Careful About!

Fever is not a disease! It's a known fact that normal human body temperature is 98.6 F (37 C). If temperature goes beyond that, then it's called fever. But one must not worry every time if there is a rise in the temperature. 

Why?
The reason is that immune system is designed to raise temperature as a defence mechanism, if there is any attack by a foreign body (such as bacteria). So body temperature may fluctuate between 97 and 100.4. But there is no need to worry.

When to Consider Checking?
Routine check up is unnecessary. You may consider to check when:
- You feel the warmth while you touch
- You feel very tired, dizzy and lose appetite
- You feel nauseated, see rashes on the body, experience loose motion, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, etc.

Is it Time to Worry?
Normally, fever is not dangerous. However, if you see the following conditions, then it's time to worry and call a doctor. 
- If the body temperature is more than 103 degree F 
-,If fever lasts for more than five days
- If you feel difficulty in breathing
- If there is severe vomiting or diarrhoea
- If you feel stiffness in the neck and have headache
- If you feel excessively sleepy and lethargic
- If you see redness in skin, rashes or blood in stool.

If the condition worsens, it is time to rush to a hospital. There could be following:

- Meningitis is life threatening and highly transmissible in case of bacterial infection. A combination of a fever, extreme headache and stiffness in the neck is an indication that you must rush to the emergency department of a hospital near you.

- Difficulty in breathing or chest pain along with fever should prompt you to call for emergency medical assistance.

- If someone has fever along with blood in stool, urine or mucus, it's one of the reasons to seek for emergency medical help.

- If one has fever and is quite disturbed or puzzled unnecessarily, then the person should be taken to the emergency department.

- A person with low immune responses (such as one who is suffering from cancer or AIDS) needs doctor's help in case of fever development.

- Hyperthermia: it's a condition of very high fever, i.e., more than 104 degree F. The person seems to be confused and may not respond to verbal stimuli or commands. It's time for medical emergency.

What should You Do?
For mild fever, even home remedies can help. Aspirin shouldn't be the first choice and an absolute no for individuals less than 18 years. Other drugs that people usually tend to consume are ibuprofen or acetaminophen. One should also drink plenty of water. In case of a heat stroke, body needs to be cooled.
Other severe causes such as viral infection should lead you to a doctor.

Fever - When To Check, When To Worry, What To Do

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