The annual average number of dengue fever/dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) cases reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) has increased dramatically in recent years.
Dengue infections can be life-threatening when they occur in individuals with asthma, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Dengue fever also known as break bone fever is a viral mosquito-borne and transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti .
A severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause severe bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
Symptoms:
Primary symptoms of dengue appear three to 15 days after the mosquito bite.
Measures to prevent Dengue:
• Disposing of solid waste properly and removing artificial man-made habitats;
• Covering, emptying and cleaning of domestic water storage containers on a weekly basis;
• Applying appropriate insecticides to water storage outdoor containers;
• Using of personal household protection such as window screens, long-sleeved clothes, insecticide treated materials, coils and vaporizers;
• Applying insecticides as space spraying during outbreaks as one of the emergency vector-control measures
General Measures:
• Supportive care in a hospital
• Intravenous (IV) fluid and electrolyte replacement
• Blood pressure monitoring
• Transfusion to replace blood loss