Dengue fever is a disease caused by mosquitoes which mostly occurs in tropical climates. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a type of dengue fever that may lead to decrease in blood pressure and severe bleeding. Dengue may lead to death if the symptoms of this disease are not treated at the right time. The symptoms of this disease are high fever, muscle ache, pain in the eyes, pain in the abdomen and nausea. It may also lead to respiratory problems such as breathing difficulties. Presence of blood in the stool and blood spots around the skin are some other symptoms of dengue.

The symptoms of this disease start after 5 - 9 days after being bitten by the mosquito. The disease usually lasts about 7-8 days. In case the symptoms worsen, the disease may become life threatening. The various methods you can employ to protect yourself from dengue are:

Maintain cleanliness around your surroundings: Make sure you keep your surroundings clean so that mosquito infestations do not occur. Keep your surroundings clean and dry as mosquitoes thrive in moist and humid surroundings.
Mosquito repellants: Spray mosquito repellants to keep your home free from mosquitoes. Spray them keeping the room locked to make it more effective. There are multiple types of repellents available such as liquid or gas repellents.
Clothes: You should preferably wear full sleeved clothes so that your skin is not exposed. It provides additional protection from mosquito bites.
Mosquito nets: Use mosquito nets to protect yourself from mosquitoes when you go to sleep at night. They also provide protection from other insects that may cause infections. 
Don't store waste: Don't store your waste products for long durations as they may turn into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Clean it regularly and make sure to keep the area dry.
Using natural remedies: You may use natural remedies such as burning camphor as it repels mosquitoes. Take camphor and burn it for 20 minutes in a closed room to get rid of the mosquitoes.

Dengue Fever - 6 Ways You Can Protect Yourself Against 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!

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

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

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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