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1. THtr HrNDll-
TUE-SDAY. OCTOBER 8, 2OI3
ment are available.
How will I know whether
the hospital providing care is
well equipped to manage
children with sever Dengue
illness?
Children with severe Den-
gue illness, are at higher risk of
developing complications like
kidney or liver failure, fall in
blood pressure and contracti ng
new infections.
Those hospital where facil-
ities for providing mechanical
ventilation, managing chil-
dren's kidney or liver related
problems, and sound infectron
control practices are available,
the results will be definitely far
better. Even in severe Dengue
illness, if managed in a well-
equipped hospital, with expe-
rienced team of doctors, re-
sults are very good and death
rate is less than1Vo.
How to avoid Dengue
illness?
There are not yet any vac-
cines to orevent infection with
dengue virus and the most ef-
fective proteclive measures are
those that avoid mosquito bites
(wearing mosquito repellent
creams and lotions, spraying
pesticides, and avoiding water
logging any standing water)
When infected. early recogni-
tion and prompt supportive
treatment in a well equipped
medical facility can substan-
tially lower the risk of devel-
oping severe disease.
For more queries wdte to:
Dr. Farhan Shaikh
MD, DNB (Peds) Fellow
Pediatric Critical Care
Rainbow Hospitals
ForWomen & Children
drfarhan @rainbowhospital s.i n
farhanshaikhT4 @ gmail.com
Dengue illness in my family
member?
During the mosquito breed-
ing season, (from July to No-
vember). children with
symptoms of high fever with
head ache and body ache
should be shown to a child spe-
cialist for any possibility of
Dengue illness.
The symptoms for initial 2
or 3 days are same as in a regu-
lar Dengue fever with high fe-
ver,head aches, body ache etc.
However from 3rd or 4th day
of illness when the fever be-
gins to settle down and rash
starts appearing. platelets in
blood start falling leading to
risk of bleeding. Moreover,
leaking of body fluids outside
blood vessels starts leading to
fall in blood pressure, fluid ac-
cumulation in chest and ab-
domen and rarely even fatal
liver damage.
Whatis the diagnostic test
for dengue illness?
There is serological blood
test for dengue fever which, if
done after 5th day of onset of
fever is reasonably accurate in
diagnosing Dengue illness.
What is the treatment for
dengue fever?
Because dengue fever is
caused by a virus, there is no
specific medicine or antibiotic
to treat it. For typical dengue,
the treatment is purely con-
cerned with relief of the symp-
toms (symptomatic).
Mild cases (more than 90%
are mild illnesses) need only
rest, plenty of liquids, fever
control and general observa-
tion at home. Those children
who have high fever with poor
oral intake and weakness, may
require admission in a hospital
facility where the child may
require intra venous fluids and
mo_re_close observation.
-The
viru-sis notaontag'1ous
and cannot be spread directly
from person to person bY
touching or coughing. There
must be a person-to-mosquito-
to-another-person pathway.
How soon after exPosure
do symptoms appear?
The timebetween the bite of
a mosquito carrying Dengue
virus and the start of symP-
toms averages 4 to 6 days, with
a range of 3 to 14 days.
When should I suspect
wnen does a ctrila neia
referral to a higher medical
center?
Every child with Dengue
illness need not be admitted in
highly equipped health care
facility. However, if a child
develoos more severe illness
(less than 107o cases) , in the
form ofrapid fall in platelets in
blood, bleeding gums, black
stools, swelling over face,
breathing difficulty, disten-
sion of abdomen oi cold hands
and feet with falling blood
pressures, such children need
specialized care in a hospital
where facilities for more
closed monitoring and treat-
7
Dengue fever inform atton
What you need to know as
parents
Brief introduction of Den-
gue illness:
Dengue fever is a disease
caused by a family of viruses
that are transmitted by mos-
quitoes. It is an acute illness of
sudden onset that usually fol-
lows a simple course with
symptoms such as headache,
fever, exhaustion, severe mus-
cle and joint pain, swollen
glands (lymphadenopathy),
and rash. The oresence (the
"dengue triid") of fever, rash,
and headache (and other
pains) is particularly charac-
teristic of dengue.
The World Health Organi-
zation estimates that 2.5 bil-
lion people (two fifths the
world's population), risk con-
hacting dengue, and that there
may be as many as 50 million
cases of dengue fever every
year. It is caused by one offour
serotypes ofDengue virus, itis
possible to get dengue fever
multiple times.
However, an attack of den-
gue produces immunity for a
lifetime to that particular sero-
type to which the patient was
exoosed.
ls Dengue illness always
fatal and life threatening?
No! Most of the time, the
child suffers from high fever ,
headache, body ache, rash for
around 3 to 5 days and then
starts improving without go-
ing into complications.
In less than 5Vo of cases
there can be severe disease
which can lead to low platelets
in blood leading to risk of
bleeding, fall in blood pres-
sure, fluid accumulation in
chest and abdomen and rarely
even fatal liver damage.
How are we at risk of con-
tracting Dengue illness?
The virus is not contagious
and cannot be spread directly
fJom person to person by
touching or coughing. There
must,be a person-to-mosquito-
to-another-person pathway -
Dengue viruses are mainly
transmitted by the bite of in-
fected Aedes aegypti mosqui-
toes; an invasive, domestic
species with tropical and sub-
trooical worldwide distribu-
tion. The mosquitoes that
transmit Dengue live among
humans and breed in discarded
tires, flower pots, old oil
drums, and water storage con-
tainers close to human dwell-
irigs. Unlike lhe mosquitoes
that cause malaria, Dengue
mosquitoes bite during the
day.