Khyber Medical University (KMU) Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Hafizullah has said that there is no vaccine or drug to prevent dengue fever, adding that the only way to prevent it is to avoid mosquito bites.
Talking to reporters at the awareness briefing organised by KMU at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IPM&R) Hayatabad, Peshawar, Hafizullah said, dengue fever was a mosquito-borne infection that caused a severe flu-like illness and sometimes potentially lethal complications called dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome both of which could be fatal.
He said it was caused by the dengue virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family. He requested the media to play its due role in creating awareness among the general public regarding causes and prevention of dengue fever.
He said the media would not only be aware of its moral and social responsibility but it should also come forward in defeating this epidemic.
Regarding the prevention of dengue fever, the KMU VC said a good repellent containing (DEET) must be used on exposed skin together with light cover-up clothing. In endemic areas, we should rely on the elimination of mosquito breeding sites in the community by regular inspections and insecticide spraying of properties and the education of local residents to regularly empty standing water and open air areas free from waste items in which water might collect.
Briefing the reporters on dengue fever, its symptoms and current situation, Dr Ayaz Ayub and Dr Naeem Khttak said WHO had estimated that 2.5 billion people were at risk of acquiring dengue fever and that approximately 50 million infections occurred each year.
“It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The Aedes mosquito likes to breed in household water storage containers and other waste containers where rainwater collects.”
They said classic dengue fever was a severe, flu-like illness that affected infants, young children and adults, but seldom caused death.
The clinical features of dengue fever range from nonexistent or mild to severe and vary according to the age of the patient. Infants and young children might have a fever with rash. Older children and adults might have either a mild fever or the classical incapacitating disease with abrupt onset and high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains and a rash.
The KMU public health experts said the dengue virus was transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. “When the mosquito feeds on the blood of a person infected with dengue, the virus enters and multiplies within the mosquito. After about eight to 10 days, the mosquito can transmit the virus to another human and can do this for the rest of its life. The Aedes mosquito bites during the day particularly around dawn and dusk. There is no specific antiviral treatment for dengue fever where as supportive nursing care and careful management of symptoms is the standard treatment.
