In order to avert attack of dengue virus, all possible preventive measures must be adopted as prevention is better than cure, said Holy Family Hospital (HFH) Deputy Medical Superintendent (DMS) Dr Javed Hayat. Talking to APP, he said maximum preventive measures should be adopted to fight dengue virus. Dengue fever is a flu-like illness spread by mosquito bites. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the dengue family virus.
This is also widely known as ‘Break bone fever’ due to the severe joint pain caused during the attack. Dengue can be diagnosed by blood test. The infected person as such cannot spread the infection but can be a source to spread it, he said.
Those bitten by the mosquito can get dengue fever and those already infected once if infected again are prone to higher risk of getting dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dengue is an infectious disease causing frequent epidemics. There are various factors that contribute like lack of effective mosquito control, lack of public health systems to control the epidemic, the increase usage of plastic items which are the breeding sites of the mosquitoes. Dr Javed Hayat said dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows other symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash. Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, and red palms and soles, he added.
Dengue strikes people with low levels of immunity. Because it is caused by one of four serotypes of virus, it is possible to get dengue fever multiple times. However, an attack of dengue produces immunity for a lifetime to that particular serotype to which the patient was exposed, he informed. The virus is contracted from the bite of a striped Aedes aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. The mosquito flourishes during rainy seasons but can breed in water-filled flower pots, plastic bags, and cans year-round. One mosquito bite can inflict the disease, he said.
The virus is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. There must be a person-to-mosquito-to-another-person pathway, he added. He said active monitoring and surveillance of natural mosquito is necessary during these days to check on spread of the dengue virus. Dr Javed Hayat said that dengue is a mosquito-borne infection, which in recent years has become a major public health concern.
He said the dengue fever usually continues for two to seven days, adding, in moderate dengue haemorrhagic fever cases, all signs and symptoms abate after the fever subsides. He said that maximum arrangements for the medical treatment of dengue fever patients has been made in Holy Family Hospital.