The mosquito may seem a very small creature, but can be deadly as they spread quite a few severe infections, with chikungunya being one of them. The disease got its name from an African language, which means to walk bent over.

Chikungunya is a viral disease that is carried by specific varieties of infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). It was originally confused for dengue, which is another mosquito-transmitted infection, but then called out as a separate disease. Both diseases start off with non-diagnostic symptoms including fever, rashes, fatigue, anaemia and headache. Dengue could be distinguished by the lowered platelet count, while the persistent joint pains and eye pain could be the distinguishing factor for the chikungunya.

The mosquito is the vector, which picks up the virus from one infected person and spreads it to another person. The virus does not spread directly from one person to the other. Once it reaches the blood stream, it multiplies in the body, and over a period of 1 to 12 days, the symptoms begin to appear.

Symptoms: The symptoms of chikungunya are listed below, which reflect the effects on the body.
The symptoms are generally nondiagnostic and generic including fever, rashes, joint pain, muscle aches, eye pain, fatigue, tiredness, lethargy, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. The eye pain which occurs behind the eyes and the joint pains are the indicative symptoms, which point to chikungunya. In fact, the joint pains make the patient assume a stooped posture, and that is where the name chikungunya was originally derived from.

Most of the above symptoms subside over a period of 10 to 15 days but the joint pain continues. In fact, in many, it can continue to exist for months and even years and eventually develop into rheumatoid arthritis.
Though chikungunya is not a fatal disease by itself, it can produce long-term symptoms which can be severely disabling and affect the quality of life.

Anybody who is bitten by the infected mosquito can develop the disease, but there are some groups of people at a higher risk. These include newborns, the elderly people, and people with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic heart disease.

However, once infected, the person develops immunity and future infections do not happen unless their immunity is severely compromised.

Treatment: There is no specific treatment, and symptom relief is provided through rest, hydration, pain killers for joint and muscle, antipyretics for fever, and avoiding aspirin.
While there is no vaccine for chikungunya, preventing exposure to mosquito bites when you are travelling and preventing mosquito breeding and reducing exposure to mosquitoes by using repellents and nets are advisable.

Chikungunya  - How It Affects Your Body?

Are you aware of dengue, a fever which is currently on the rise? Dengue is a painful fever, which is caused by one of the four dengue viruses. It is a mosquito borne disease. The virus which causes dengue is related to yellow fever causing virus. Dengue is also referred to as break bone fever. It is transmitted via the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with dengue. This type of fever has no proper cure and hence, prevention is the best policy.

Symptoms
The symptoms of dengue start appearing four to six days after the infection. They include sudden, high fever, pain behind the eyes, fatigue, nausea, severe muscle and joint pain, skin rash, vomiting and mild bleeding in the nose or gums. In some cases, the symptoms are very mild and are commonly mistaken for another viral infection. Severe problems such as the dengue hemorrhagic fever may occur from the infection.

Treatment
The juice from the leaves of carica papaya mixed with sucrose is given to a patient, which helps in increasing the count of platelets. This may lead to some movement.

Prevention

There is no vaccine, which immunizes dengue and the best way of prevention is to prevent yourself from getting bitten by infected mosquitoes, especially if you live in a tropical climate. The prevention tips include protecting yourself and making an effort to reduce the mosquito population. Here are some important prevention tips for dengue:
Stay away from residential areas which are very heavily populated.
Use mosquito repellents, even when you are at home.
Wear long sleeved clothes and long pants when going out.
Make sure that your windows and doors do not have holes in them. Use mosquito nets while sleeping, if you do not have an air conditioner.
Get rid of places and areas where mosquitoes can breed in order to reduce their population. These may include cans, old tyres and areas where rain water gets collected.
If someone at home gets dengue, you should make efforts to protect yourself and the rest of your family members. A mosquito, which bites an infected family member, may spread the infection to others as well.
In case you experience any symptom of dengue, it is important for you to consult a doctor immediately. He will be able to guide you with a proper diagnosis and treatment based on the latter.

Dengue Fever - Why Prevention Is Better Than Cure?

Some of the homeopathic remedies for fever are:

    Aconite: This is for fever with restlessness and anxiety. The patient is seen with an increased thirst for cold water and intolerable body aches. Aconite is considered in fevers which have increased post sudden exposure to cold winds.
    Bryonia Alba: This is used in fever with body aches. A person with a fever might want to lie down all the time in order to get relief from the body aches and even the slightest movement might cause them pain. An increased thirst for water is also seen.
    Nux Vomica: This is a holistic cure for fever with shivering. This is made of natural substances and is of great help in cases of shivering and chilliness. A person with this fever might want to remain covered all the time.
    Gelsemium: This natural remedy is very beneficial for fever where the patients suffer from dizziness, weakness and a tendency to faint. This condition is marked by an absence of thirst.
    Rhus Tox: This remedy is considered to be the first choice in people who have fever along with extreme restlessness and body aches. A person experiencing this type of fever might want to remain in motion throughout in order to avoid the restlessness. This remedy is also given for fevers as a result of getting wet in the rain.
    Homeopathic Medicines for Fever with Flu or Influenza type: Influenza is a viral infection and is characterized with sudden fever, cough, pain in eyes, body aches, headaches, and pain in eyes. The homeopathic medicines that are of great help in influenza are Aconite, Gelsemium and Eupatorium Perfoliatum. Aconite is given in influenza when cold air exposure is the cause. This is usually followed by an immediate fever and nasal discharges. Restlessness and anxiety are also seen with fever. Gelsemium is the best cure for a runny nose and sneezing along with pain in head and eyes. The patient might also have drowsiness and weakness. Eupatorium Perfoliatum is of great help in fever with influenza, when the patient has extreme pain. This remedy has no side effects and provides instant relief from pain.
    Homeopathic medicines for fever with malaria: Malaria is characterized by fever accompanied with chills and excessive sweating. The homeopathic medicines for malaria are Gelsemium, Arsenic Album, Nux Vomica and Eupatorium Perfoliatum. The patients who benefit from Gelsemium usually complain of absence of thirst and extreme chilliness. Arsenic Album is of help in people who are easily exhausted and need some water at short intervals. Nux Vomica is for patients who prefer to be covered in warm clothes during heat, cold and sweat.

These are only some of the medicines shared for fever, but is better that one must consult a homeopathic practitioner before popping these medicines, as your doctor will prescribe medicines based on your symptoms, which will vary from person to person. 

7 Best Homeopathic Medicines for Fever in Child & Adults

High fever is common in kids and a common worry for parents as well. If you are a parent, you need to know when the fever is serious, and when you should worry about it. Fever is a defence mechanism of the body. Body temperature rises if any foreign body (or antigen) attacks your body. As a defence, body temperature rises making it an unfavourable condition for the antigen. Fever means 100.4 degree Fahrenheit. Normally for kids, thermometer is placed under the armpit to record the temperature. You need to add an extra degree for accuracy. Paediatricians recommend treatment for fever if it's more than 101 degree F.

When to Call a Doctor

If the kid is less than 4 months old and has a fever of 100.4 degree F with other mentioned symptoms as highlighted, one must see the doctor as an emergency situation.
If a kid has 104 degree F fever, rush to the doctor. Such a high fever in children could lead to seizers.

You must call a doctor if the kid has a fever along with the following symptoms:

    Looks very dizzy
    Has a deteriorated immune system or even any other medical condition
    Has a seizure
    Has symptoms such as rashes, painful throat, annoyance, rigid neck or ear pain

Medication Side Effects:

At times, if you treat your children with some medication that does not suit them, it may lead to high fever. In case fever in a kid aged less than 2 years lasts for more than one day, it's time to see a doctor. And lastly, remember that normal body temperature is 98.6 degree F.

High Fever: When It Should Raise Alarm for Parents

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

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!

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