Dengue is a growing problem. It is now the fastest spreading mosquito virus in the world. It spreads to new countries and new types of environments each year. In the last 50 years the prevalence of Dengue has increased by 30 times.
Dengue used to be mainly an urban problem but is now spreading to rural environments. When an outbreak of Dengue hits an urban area the mortality rate is 1%. However, when it hits a rural area, the mortality rate rises to 3-5%. The mortality rate of Dengue is higher at the beginning of the outbreak, and then after the public learns what is happening and how to prevent Dengue and that if you have dengue symptoms to seek medical attention immediately, the mortality rate goes down.
Three-quarters of Dengue victims live in Asia. Indonesia in particular is hard-hit with Dengue because more than 35% of Indonesians live in urban settings.
Dengue fever was drastically reduced and controlled in the Americas duringthe 1960s and 1970s. However, maintenance, surveillance, and control was not maintained so it has risen again. There are now outbreaks in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Every 3 to 5 years there is another outbreak.
Since there is no vaccine for Dengue, the best way to maintain dengue control is to prevent its spread. Since Dengue is spread by mosquitoes, you want to destroy any mosquito habitat that might be surrounding your property.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Dengue is spread by the female egg-laying mosquito so having buckets of water standing around your home is an invitation to egg-laying female mosquitoes, and therefor you are inviting Dengue symptoms into your home. Dengue prevention is as simple as removing the habitat for egg-laying female mosquitoes.
If you have a lot of solid waste (old tires, buckets, an empty sandbox, etc) that can hold water, you are inviting mosquitoes. Dispose of junk properly by removing these man-made homes for mosquitoes. If you collect rainwater in a barrel or buckets, cover them. You should also empty them once a week, and clean them.
A screen on your windows will keep the mosquitoes out. Wear long sleeves and do anything you can to kill mosquitoes around your home.
There is no treatment of Dengue. That is, Doctors and nurses cannot cure you if you get it. However, they can increase the likelihood your survival. Hopefully, if you get Dengue fever, there are some experienced doctors and nurses from whom you can seek medical attention.
If you catch Severe Dengue, your chance of surviving without medicare care is less than 80%. However, if you seek medical attention right away, with the first signs of Dengue symptoms, your survival chances increase to more than 99%.
The main factor in the treatment of Dengue is maintaining the body’s fluid volume. That’s because Severe Dengue is deadly partly due to the fact that it causes your plasma to leak out. Fluid accumulates in your body, so it the fluid volume must be monitored and maintained by a doctor.
Did you know there are four different types of Dengue? The most important distinction between the types of dengue is basic vs severe. First, there’s Dengue, and then there’s the more serious version called: Severe Dengue.
Severe Dengue can kill you, and there’s no cure. The best survival technique for Severe Dengue is to to catch basic Dengue before it becomes Severe. If you have Dengue symptoms, get to a doctor immediately and with medical care you have a 99% chance of surviving and avoiding Severe Dengue.
The four different types of Dengue are called DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4. They are all very similar and you can built immunity from a type of Dengue by recovering from having it. But if you get infected with another type, the possibility of contracting Severe Dengue increases.
Of the Dengue symptoms, a high fever is the first and most prominent to appear. If you have a high fever plus a few more symptoms from the following list, go to the emergency room now!
Dengue Symptoms: A High Fever Plus…
- a rash
- really bad pain behind your eyes
- a really bad headache
- pain in your joints
- nosebleed
- bleeding in your gums
- easy bruising
- muscle pain
If you have a high fever and any two of the Dengue symptoms from the list, stop what you are doing and go to the emergency room.
If you have Dengue Fever, you only have three days to one week after your Dengue Symptoms appear before the second wave of symptoms appears. You do not want to get to this stage because this round of Dengue Symptoms is more severe:
Dengue Symptoms, Part Two:
- rash turns to spots or patches
- now you are vomiting blood
- really bad pain in your abdomen
- drowsy
- irritability
- clammy skin
- pale skin
- black tarry stools
- and now it’s hard to breathe…now you really know it’s serious.
These Dengue Symptoms are actually warning signs. They are a warning that during the next one or two days your capillaries will pretty much dissolve and you will go into shock and probably die if you do not seek emergency care.
