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?

Acute viral fever is a type of fever that includes various viral infections, primarily characterized by an increase in the body temperature. This disorder is very common among children and the elderly as they tend to have a weak immune system. Some common characteristics of this condition are skin rashes, body ache and headache.

Causes
The virus that causes this disorder is transmitted from one person to the other. The usual modes of transmission include direct contact, sneezing, coughing and even talking; anything that makes you exposed to physical contact with the body fluids of the infected person. Once the virus enters your body, it can take around 20-48 hours to get activated.

Symptoms
The symptoms of this disorder include a rise in body temperature, vomiting, weakness, loss of taste, swelling of the face. You may feel very lethargic, weak and nauseated. Apart from these symptoms, it may also cause pain in the joints and the stomach. In severe cases, this disease can lead to complications such as arthritis, pneumonia and diarrhea.

Treatment
Antibiotics, analgesics and antipyretics are prescribed when you have viral fever. Apart from the medications, you need to increase fluid intake and take complete bed rest. The body needs to heal; hence being extremely active will be counterproductive to the healing process. Heavy antiviral treatments are prescribed only in severe cases. Apart from medications, there are certain dietary changes that you may have to make to boost the healing process. Avoid spicy and fat laden foods as the digestive system is weak and consumption of such foods may lead to stomach disorders such as diarrhea and acidity. Try keeping your diet restricted to warm soups and fruit juices. Another factor you should be aware of is dehydration, as the body tends to lose fluids during this period. Drink a lot of water and fruit juices to keep your fluid intake at optimal levels.

You can also follow some preventive measure to avoid this disorder:
1. Wash your hands with antibiotic soaps
2. Stay away from crowded places
3. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands

Acute Viral Fever - Know its Causes and Symptoms

How to prevent dengue fever

A painful, mosquito-borne disease, dengue (pronounced dengue) fever is on the rise. While in some cases, it has proved to be fatal, in most cases dengue is curable. There is no vaccination available to protect against this fever. So the best way to avoid is to take precautions.
Here are a few precautions you can take against dengue.

1. Avoid public spaces - avoid densely populated residential areas, as more the people, more the virus can spread.
2. Use insect protection - use mosquito repellents and nets when indoors. Use repellents when going outdoors; this is especially important for children playing outdoors.
3. Use air cooling - use the fan or the air-conditioning when indoors as the air-cooling drives the mosquitoes away.
4. Prevent entry - close all doors and windows tightly before sunset. Ensure there are no gaps for mosquitoes to come indoors.
5. Check for symptoms - if you have any of the symptoms, consult your doctor. It is advisable to keep yourself aware about the symptoms so one can react quickly if needed. Some of the symptoms are:

Severe headaches.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Sudden rise in body temperature.
Mild bleeding in the gums or nose.
Severe muscle and joint pain.
Acute pain behind the eyes.

The one confusing part of dengue fever is that it can be mistaken for normal fever upon onset. However, it can develop to serious problem. People with a weak immune system and people who have had dengue before, are at the higher risks of contracting this again, and at a bigger scale.



Prevent The Dangerous DENGUE Fever - Follow These Simple Steps

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

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?

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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