Dengue fever - act early, be safe

The rains have come, so has dengue. The mosquitos that spread dengue bite during the daytime, so keeping as much of the body covered as possible reduces risk of being bitten. Use a mosquito repellent on the exposed parts of the body, it is safe in children, a repellent applied on the hands legs and face will protect much more than the fancy mosquito bands that are aggressively marketed during this season.
The first symptom of dengue fever is increased body temperature, which often associated with body aches and headache. Many over the counter fever medications have drugs that have effect on the kidneys, liver and platelets. Instead of self medication, it is advisable to seek medical attention. Diagnosing dengue early and being under the guidance of a doctor can prevent complications.
The major issue in dengue is decreased blood volume due to a leakage in the capillaries, the way to manage this is by adequately hydrating the person and quite often need intravenous fluids and serial monitoring of the blood counts and platelets. Unnecessary antibiotics and other drugs can increase the risk of bleeding and complications. Avoid self medication and over the counter medications.
Screening tests have to be chosen carefully, many labs advertise dengue screening, unless the correct test is chosen depending on the time since the start of the illness, these tests would not be useful. Stay alert, stay safe, always seek medical opinion before treatment or tests.