Dengue and Chikungunya Awareness- A Must Know In Rainy Season

      Dengue and Chikungunya Awareness- A Must Know In Rainy Season

Precautions and preventions at early step can help us keep our and our near dear’s health intact but it involves not only role of government or health authorities but we also should be aware of the various measures which can be taken .As we are daily seeing in news that there is a drastic global rise in incidence of dengue along with chikungunya  . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are about 390 million cases of dengue fever worldwide, and of the total number of cases, 96 million require medical treatment. India also saw a doubling up of cases of dengue from 2014 to 2015 and the worst hit city was Delhi with over 1800 cases of the fever. 2016 isn't expected to be any better and this has become a cause of concern for the country.

We will brief the various signs symptoms and preventive measures needed for our readers.Hope it will be beneficial to cope up the prevalent situation.

DENGUE-

Dengue  is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by one of the many closely related dengue viruses. It is an acute illness caused by one of the many types of mosquitoes in the genus Aedes Aegypti. Typically people infected with dengue virus are asymptomatic (80 per cent) and only only 5 per cent have severe illness.

Signs and Symptoms-

·         High fever

·         Joint pains

·         Headache

·         Nausea

·         Appetite loss

·         Vomiting

·         Dip in blood pressure

·         Characteristic skin rash- rashes rarely occur on the face. The palms of the hands and soles of the feet may be swollen and bright red.

·         Drop in platelet counts

Diagnosis- Diagnosis of this disease isn't difficult. A blood test for the disease against the virus can tell whether the person is affected or not. . An early detection and a proper medication are considered positive factors and help in lowering fatality rate of the disease. See a doctor, take the prescribed medication which are mostly pain relievers, rest and drink maximum fluids. If the situation worsens in the first 24 hours, do not delay going to a hospital for checking against criticalities.

Dengue prevention plan -

-          Dengue virus is mostly active in the early morning and later afternoon.

-          Tropical and sub-tropical areas are more prone to dengue outbreaks. Travellers from and across such regions can also carry the disease.

-          Reduction of number of mosquitoes by improved water storage, proper waste disposal, and checking water stagnancy.

-          Mosquito repellents are also quite effective but they should be used with the following points of caution: Avoid them for infants below 2 months of age; For infants older than 2 months, apply repellents containing 10 per cent DEET; Avoid applying them on palms, near eyes or mouth; Always read the instruction on the label, particularly for babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

-          Avoid wearing dark and tight clothing because mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours. Wear loose, white and long clothes, which cover the whole body. Mosquitoes find it difficult to bite through loose clothes than tight fitting clothes

What is chikungunya? What are the differences between chikungunya, dengue and other mosquito-borne virus?

Like Dengue, chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. The most common symptoms of chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Symptoms of chikungunya usually resolve within 7-10 days. Chikungunya is very rarely fatal.

Mosquitoes feeding on infected individuals can become infected and then spread the disease toothers. It can be difficult to tell the difference between chikungunya and dengue as they both sharesome clinical signs. Dengue causes more severe disease than chikungunya and hospitalizations and fatalities are much less common with chikungunya.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for either dengue or chikungunya. Supportive care includes rest, staying hydrated, and taking paracetamol (or acetaminophen) to reduce pain and fever.

Prevention involves protecting yourself from mosquito bites.

High Risk groups-

The specific groups at increased risk include:

• new-borns

• pregnant women

• adults more than 65 years old

• travellers with pre-existing medical conditions (eg. high blood pressure, heart disease,

chronic pulmonary or other serious disease and alcohol abuse) 

What should be the role of Local health authority done to prevent and control chikungunya outbreak?

• focal residual spraying around homes of chikungunya cases,  airport, hospitals,

• surveillance of mosquito populations and breeding sites at  prone sites, major hotels, to

identify risk levels for these sites, and to subsequently control any breeding sites;

• a national mass clean-up campaign   to reduce mosquito breeding sites  

• treatment guidelines  should be developed and distributed to all health professionals;

• community awareness via multi-media campaign  is a must

• community mobilization on source reduction  should be in place 

**Need of hour is -surveillance, clinical management, risk communications, prevention and control.