How dengue fever is spread ???? In India the dengue virus is transmitted by a bite from the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Only the female mosquito transmits the dengue virus. This mosquito is a daytime biter, both inside and outside homes, and is most active in the hours after sunrise and before sunset. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed inside and outside the home in containers holding water and rarely fly more than 200 metres from the breeding site. They do not breed in creeks, swamps, pools or other bodies of water. Signs and symptoms The disease has a sudden onset and symptoms may include: > fever for 3 to 7 days > intense headache and pain behind the eyes > muscle and joint pain > loss of appetite > vomiting and diarrhoea > skin rash > bleeding, usually from the nose or gums. Recovery is sometimes associated with prolonged fatigue and depression. Repeated episodes of dengue fever may result in excessive bleeding and shock but, with appropriate treatment, are rarely fatal. * Incubation period (time between becoming infected and developing symptoms) > 3 to 14 days, commonly 4 to 7 days. * Infectious period (time during which an infected person can infect others) A mosquito becomes infected if it bites an infected person while the fever is present (an average period of about 3 to 5 days). After biting an infected person it takes 8 to 12 days before the mosquito can infect other people. The mosquito remains infectious for life. Dengue fever is not directly spread from person-to-person. * Treatment > There is no specific antiviral treatment available. General recommendations include controlling fever and pain with paracetamol rather than aspirin (aspirin may promote bleeding), and increasing fluid intake. * Prevention > Exclusion from childcare, preschool, school or work is usually not necessary but people experiencing fever from dengue infection should not be in an environment where they may be bitten by mosquitoes. If this is not possible they should stay at home until they have no fever and are therefore no longer infectious (usually 3 to 5 days) > there is no vaccine to prevent human infection by this virus personal protection and the environmental management of mosquitoes are important in preventing illness > prevent access of mosquitoes to an infected person with a fever. > Protect yourself from mosquito bites at all times in dengue areas. * Diagnosis Diagnosis of dengue fever is made by clinical examination and a blood test. Accurate and timely diagnosis of dengue virus is important for early detection of dengue virus infection. The usefulness of the dengue NS1 antigen test was evaluated as a routine, rapid diagnostic test for dengue virus infection. The dengue NS1 antigen test can be used to complement the current antibody test used in peripheral laboratories. Thus, the combination of the NS1 antigen and antibody tests could increase the diagnostic efficiency for early diagnosis of dengue infection. Inquire more about prevention of dengue, visit tarunclinicallab
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 05:18:12 +0000
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