The Symptoms Of Dengue Fever And Its Risk
The Symptoms Of Dengue Fever. Taking international trips to all of the numerous countries can always be a risk to our health. For those who have already traveled across seas, they already know that getting a certain amount of particular vaccinations is a requirement before being allowed to leave.
Sometimes, however, such health precautions aren’t always enough to safeguard us from some of the other infections that we might fall victim to. One of the most common disease that a quarter of the world’s population fall victim to Dengue fever.
Dengue fever is caused by a mosquito bite, that if the mosquito is carrying the flavivirus, then it contains the infection. In the tropical areas of Jamaica, part of South and Central America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. There have been other reports of this virus infecting other tropical regions throughout the world.
On a national scale, approximately 2.5 billion people are at risk of receiving this virus, and each year, nearly fifty million cases emerge. In the continent of North America, there have been no reported cases of Dengue fever emerging here, but there are reports of those who have traveled from N. America and getting it in other tropic related countries.
The symptoms of this fever, in it’s minor form, are close to that of having influenza. A person will immediately begin to experience feel intense and painful soreness in their bones and joints of their entire body. Because of such pain, this disease has been nicknamed “breakbone fever”.
During the stages of the virus, the pain will grow only worse, and will keep people bedridden for days. Once the bones and joints begin to ache, a fever, ranging between a horrible 104 to 105 will emerge. Due to the extreme temperatures of the fever, a person will begin to feel the affects of an intense headache just right behind their eyes, which is another symptom of this virus.
From there, a person will break out in a rash that will start at the lower regions of the body, and begin to work its way upward. The rash itself is in a form of tiny red bumps that are clustered together. In some cases, there are no bumps, but the rash itself might not be always risen, resulting in just red spots on the skin. As the days begin to pass, the infected person will begin to experience signs of swollen lymph nodes, nausea and vomiting.
Generally, this fever will subside in two to seven days, with the fever being the lasting portion of it. In some cases, Dengue fever has been known to cause many a reason to go to the doctor. In those cases that become severe, there are other symptoms that can apply, and all of which are life threatening.
The virus, in severe cases, has the ability to grow into DHF, dengue hemorrhagic fever, which then begins to effect the the internal biology of your body. During the first stages of Dengue fever, the platelet level will drop due to such a high fever. When DHF sets in, the lack of platelets can cause for internal bleeding in areas of the body.
There are reports of people bleeding from their eyes, blood leaking in their intestines, and blood leaking from a person’s skin pores. Blood vessels are known to begin to leak themselves throughout the body, and even the heart, and with no platelets in the body to contain the leakage, blood is able to spill into the spaces of the lungs and stomach region.
When this happens, there is a high risk that a person will not only need a blood and platelet transfusion, but if it’s not caught in time, a person may slip into the deadliest form of Dengue fever, and that’s Dengue fever shock, which, unfortunately, has a high mortality rate.
As of right now, there are no vaccinations available to be taken in order to preven this from happening. Reportedly, there are several vaccinations that are being tested currently. For now, the basic forms of prevention are all that people have available to them until a vaccine becomes successfully available.
These mosquitoes are known to be very active during day. When you’re out along the beach, or taking a hike through a wooded area, always use mosquito repellent. If the heat isn’t too unbearable, wear long sleeve clothing, pants, and a hat.
Some have suggested the use of netting around your sleeping quarters in order to block away any mosquitoes or other insects that might get into your room during the day or night. If for some reason you realize you’ve been bitten by a mosquito, and you fear that you might be feeling aches, go to a doctor immediately to rule out this option and get a proper diagnoses.
Unfortunately, there is no other medication that can be given to help relieve the pain or uncomfortable sensations. The only medications that are able to be taken are acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.
It is highly and strongly stated, not suggested, but stated to stay away from Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided. Because this virus will dehydrate an infected, they are always required to drink an enormous among of re-hydrating liquids to replenish the fluids that may have been lost during their intense period of fever.