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?

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 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

Viral fever refers to a wide range of conditions caused by viral infections of the body. These infections lead to an elevation of body temperature, along with a variety of other symptoms such as headaches, body aches, chills and skin rashes. Viral fever can affect people of all age groups and may even be highly contagious if it is not contained and treated.


What causes viral fever?
Viral fever is caused by the infestation of viruses that spread through various avenues. These viruses enter the body and multiply at a specific site, leading to an infection that manifests itself as the symptoms of fever. This fever may be chronic or acute, depending on the nature of the infection and can easily spread from one person to another.


Some of the ways in which viral fever spreads are as follows:
Aerial transmission (coughing and sneezing).
Sexual transmission.
Consumption of contaminated food and water.
Contact with contaminated surfaces.
Contact with infected animals.


The symptoms of viral fever begin to show after an incubation period during which the virus multiplies within the body. The nature and duration of the illness varies from case to case. The most common symptoms of viral fever that accompany high body temperatures include the following:
Muscle soreness
Fatigue
Nasal congestion
Running nose
Redness of the eyes
Headaches
Coughs
Inflammation of the throat
Skin rashes
Vomiting
Diarrhoea


How is viral fever treated?
A case of viral fever can be quite easily treated if there is an absence of complications. For this, the illness simply needs to be diagnosed early. The use of antibiotics and steroids for treatment is advised against unless the infections have escalated beyond a certain extent. Some of the ways to treat viral fever are:
Prescription of antiviral medication
Adequate bed rest
Ample fluid intake
Administration of nasal decongestants


In most cases, the illness gets treated within the span of a few days. However, if the symptoms persist any longer, it is advisable to consult a specialist to check for underlying problems or complications.

Have Viral Fever? Know the Reasons Behind It!

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

Best Way To Treat Fever In Children

Let us imagine a scenario: It is 4 in the morning. You are fast asleep and suddenly you hear the discomforting cries of your child. You sense that something is wrong and you immediately rush to the other room. As soon as you touch him, you realize that the child's body is burning up like a furnace? You immediately rush to get your thermometer and the figures on it do not make for a good reading - 102 degrees F. Panic dulls your response rate. Your first reaction is to call the doctor. It might be the right thing to do in some rare cases, but in most cases experts advise differently.

Stay Calm

The most important thing is for you to stay calm and relax and realize that it is still well within your hand to take care of the child. First things first, fever is not your enemy. Rather, it is body's way of telling you that your immune system is fighting alien elements in your body. Children of the age group 0 to 3 almost always face high temperatures at some point in their nascent lives.

The Need of the Hour

How you should go about it depends on your child's age and thermometer's readings. If your child is a newborn or is less than 3 months old and reading is above 100.4 degrees, then you must call the doctor at once.

Between 3 to 6 months, temperature threshold is 101 degrees F, while 103 degrees F is usually the limit for children older than 6 months. But, if the child is showing alarming symptoms such as body ache, fatigue, and diarrhoea, along with the high temperature of 101 degrees F or 102 degrees F, then you should consider calling the doctor on a priority basis.

Take the Hints - Be Wary of the Symptoms

Keeping an eye out on the symptoms is extremely important. If your child has a running nose and low-grade fever (99-100 degrees F), then he might be suffering from a bout of common cold. Vomiting and diarrhoea usually indicate stomach virus. For children with weak immune system or at higher risk than others, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

A 24 hours rest is generally advised in flu, till the patient is fever free without taking any antibiotics. Ailments like an earache, sore throat or discomfort in peeing should be brought to the notice of doctor as it might indicate soar throat, UTI or ear infection, all of which require antibiotic treatments. Certain signs warrant an immediate medical attention. Discomfort in breathing along with constant crying, difficulty in walking, unusual rashes and purple looking spots demand that he be taken to the E.R. right away.

The most important thing is to complete the treatment course diligently and let the fever run its course as it may actually aid the body in building immunity against the fever causing germs and fight them. One must remember that being calm and relaxed at taxing times go a long way in helping you take right decisions and treating fever in children is all about patience and right decisions.

Best Way To Treat Fever In Children

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