Dengue fever, also known as tropical fever, is a viral transmissible disease that occurs mainly in the countries of South-East and South Asia, Central and South America, Africa, Oceania and the Caribbean.
Causes of Dengue fever
The source of infection are sick people, monkeys and bats. The Dengue fever virus is transmitted to a person from an infected mosquito. There are four types of the Dengue virus that cause the disease, all of which are spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes aegypti species (less often - Aedes albopictus species).
The peculiarity of the disease is that even the person who once suffered it can get infected again. In this case, repeated infection threatens with more severe course of the disease and various severe complications - otitis media, meningitis, encephalitis , etc.
Symptoms of Dengue fever
The incubation period of Dengue fever can be from 3 to 15 days (often 5 to 7 days). Symptoms of classic Dengue fever, with primary infection of a person, are as follows:
- increase in body temperature to 40 ° C (by the end of the third day of the illness the temperature decreases, and after 1 to 3 days it rises again);
- chills;
- dizziness;
- pain in muscles, bones, joints;
- loss of strength, weakness;
- anorexia;
- nausea;
- insomnia;
- redness of eyes, face, throat;
- appearance on the body of an itchy rash that spreads to the limbs and lasts from 3 to 7 days.
There are several forms of rash with Dengue fever:
- petechial - point hemorrhages;
- scarlet-like - reddening of the skin with the appearance of spots the size of millet grains;
- urticarum - itching bright pink swollen blisters, towering above the surface of the skin.
Dengue haemorrhagic fever
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an acute form of the disease, which develops with repeated infection of a person with different strains of the virus. As a rule, this disease develops only among local residents. It has the following manifestations:
- increase in body temperature up to 40 ° C;
- lowering blood pressure, increasing heart rate;
- nausea, vomiting of blood;
- stomach ache;
- anorexia;
- cough;
- increased lymph nodes;
- petechial rash;
- pallor of the skin;
- gingival, gastrointestinal bleeding.
Treatment of Dengue fever
Sick people are obligatorily hospitalized in a hospital, which will prevent the development of complications or identify them at the initial stages.
Treatment of the classical form of the disease - conservative with the use of the following drugs:
- painkillers;
- antihistamines;
- vitamins (C, K, B).
Patients are shown complete peace, bed rest, and abundant drinking - more than 2 liters of fluid per day. In addition to water, it is recommended to use milk and freshly squeezed juices.
When hemorrhagic form of Dengue fever may be prescribed:
- infusion therapy;
- oxygen therapy;
- introduction of plasma and plasma substitutes;
- glucocorticoids;
- Coagulants (means that increase blood coagulability).
Most people infected with Dengue fever, with timely and adequate treatment are restored within two weeks.
Prevention of dengue fever
Currently, there is no vaccine against Dengue fever. Therefore, the only way to prevent disease
To prevent biting and subsequent infection, the following protection measures are recommended:
- repellents;
- fumigators;
- protective mosquito nets;
- dense light clothing.
Also, do not allow the presence of open containers of water, in which mosquitoes can lay larvae.