Health

Is it dengue or a viral fever?

It is easy enough to be confused between the different kinds of fevers and flu that afflict humans. We list the symptoms of dengue so that you can get timely help.

There are several cases of viral fever, malaria and dengue doing the rounds all over the country at the moment. The places that have recently witnessed high rainfall are at most risk. But how do you tell viral fever apart from dengue?

Both viral fever and dengue show some similarities – body ache and high fever. However, dengue is more virulent and its symptoms are much more troublesome. Modern medicine has still not found a vaccine or medication to cure dengue. In the absence of a cure, prevention is the only antidote to the illness.

Why do you get dengue?

Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes to human beings. One mosquito bite is enough to inject the virus strain into your bloodstream. After the bite, the illness takes about three to six days to incubate. After this, the various symptoms of dengue start manifesting, and it is time to visit the doctor for a check-up and blood test.

Mosquitoes infected with the dengue virus breed in standing fresh water. Often, the breeding sites may be around or inside your home. Check for stagnant water in buckets, plant pots, corrugated roof, flower vases, kitchen sinks, swimming pool in the building complex, etc.

The symptoms of dengue – be on the alert!

There are many symptoms of dengue though many of them are initially misdiagnosed for those of viral or malarial fever. Timely treatment and lots of rest are crucial in arresting the illness and aiding quick recovery. Watch out for these symptoms of dengue in yourself or a loved one:

  • High fever
  • Acute body pain, especially in the joints
  • Muscular pain making it difficult to move your body
  • Nausea, vomiting and inability to eat food or retain it
  • Pain when moving the eyes
  • Constant headache

Prevention is the best cure

Delayed treatment or a weakened immune system can aggravate the symptoms and allow the illness to advance to a more dangerous state. The best way to prevent the spread of the illness is to prevent mosquitoes from biting you.

You can prevent mosquito bites by repelling or killing mosquitoes in your environment. Enlist the help of a mosquito repellent spray that zaps lurking mosquitoes and kills them in seconds. Spray your home with mosquito repellent, giving the spray time to work by closing all the doors and windows. It reaches every corner of the room and gets rid of the mosquitoes that might bite you or your loved ones later.

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