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Dengue fever – a debilitating and distressing experience
(From the desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr Reyaud Rahman)
Dengue fever is a debilitating mosquito-transmitted virus. There are four different types of Dengue viruses found
Dr Reyaud Rahman
worldwide and over 50-100 million cases of dengue fever are found throughout the world yearly. Over 2.5 billion persons are at risk and over 40 per cent of the world’s population is at risk for dengue fever.
Dengue fever is found in more than 100 countries worldwide. This highlights the huge public health problem this disease poses.
The Aedes Aegypti mosquito transmits this disease throughout Guyana and therefore dengue can present mostly on the coast of Guyana, as the mosquito is abundant in these areas.
A female mosquito that is infected with the disease can bite an individual and transmit the disease to that person. It takes between four to 10 days before symptoms appear and a person generally becomes ill during this period. This disease presents as a flu-like illness and its symptoms are fever, headache (pain behind the eyes are reminiscent of this disease), joint pains, vomiting and nausea.
Dengue fever can easily be mistaken for other viral illnesses and a test should be done to confirm a diagnosis. This is generally done by using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or an Elisa test, which is done by the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) of the Ministry of Health. If there is a positive RDT test, it is advisable to get a confirmatory Elisa test done by the NPHRL.
Of course, he only way to prevent dengue fever is to ensure that you are not bitten by an infected mosquito. Some measures which could be implemented to ensure you are not bitten are to practice good vector control. Ensure that breeding sites do not exist in your immediate surroundings (empty or cover tyres and containers that catch and collect rain water in your yard), cover and clean all water tanks, prevent mosquitoes from entering your home by
Schematic depiction of the symptoms of dengue fever.
putting mesh on windows and doors, wearing long sleeved light-coloured clothing, organize clean up campaigns in your villages and communities to ensure sustained vector control practices and disposal of solid waste.
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever as all treatment is focused on easing of symptoms and the adequate hydration of the patient. It is advisable to use no aspirin as this could worsen the bleeding. There is no vaccine available or manufactured to prevent dengue fever. When a patient has contracted all four types/serotypes of dengue fever he/she will be at increased risk of developing severe dengue fever.
When someone has severe dengue fever this is a life-threatening condition which can potentially be fatal if symptoms are not managed adequately. Someone with severe dengue fever will exhibit symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, sudden drop in temperature, continuous vomiting and in some cases blood in vomit, restlessness, bleeding gums, rapid breathing and fatigue.
Dengue fever can be quite a distressing disease to get and many patients complain of feeling very bad and extremely uncomfortable. These symptoms/feelings last between two to seven days and then completely disappear after the disease has taken its course. This is a preventable and avoidable disease which should be taken seriously based on its rapid spread worldwide.
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