What is dengue fever?
Dengue fever also known as break-bone fever is a viral mosquito-borne and transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti. Dengue is prevalent in tropics and subtropics. The virus flourishes during the rainy season.
Dengue is a leading cause of acute – febrile illness in U.S travelers returning from the Caribbean, South America, and Asia.
In India, Dengue fever occurs in the months of July to October.
How do you get it?
Dengue virus is contracted from the bite of AEDES AEGYPTI mosquito which has previously bitten an infected person. It doesn’t spread directly from person to person.
What are the symptoms of dengue fever?
Dengue has a sudden onset and remains for a long duration. It is associated with high fever, marked joint pains and swelling, headache, nausea and fatigue, low platelet count, high bleeding risk (such a nosebleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising), and pain behind the eyes and skin rash which appears two to five days after the onset of fever.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever which is a severe form of dengue fever can cause severe bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
When do symptoms start?
The onset of dengue can range from 3- 15 days but the symptoms usually start 5 to 7 days after infected mosquitoes bite you.
If you get dengue fever once, is it possible to get it again?
Yes since there are four major types of dengue viruses (DENV 1, DENV 2, DENV 3, and DENV 4) so it is possible to get is again as getting infected by one type of dengue virus will not protect you from the other three types.
How can you keep from getting it?
• Dengue can be prevented by complete rest and intake of fluids like soup, water, and juice.
• People should wear clothing with long sleeves and long pants.
• People should clean all stagnant water from pots and trash cans.
• Government initiation is also playing a great role in keeping the disease in check.
• Do not litter garbage.
• Keep your surroundings neat and clean.
• Mosquito spray once a week in the house.
What is the treatment for dengue fever?
In allopathy, there is no anti-viral medication specific to dengue. There is no cure or any vaccine for it, although there are several research teams currently working on one. Their treatment is limited to only fever-reducing medicines such as paracetamol or acetaminophen or by addressing the symptoms: a. Get plenty of bed rest. b. Drink fluids to prevent hydration. Medicines such as aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, ibuprofen such as Advil® or Motrin®) should not be used as they can potentially increase the risk of bleeding. It is very important to avoid the use of other kinds of conventional medicines in cases of dengue.
As there are a limited number of options for providing any relief in Allopathy medicine, homeopathy has come out as an extremely effective mode of treatment for dengue.
How homeopathy offers the best treatment for dengue?
Homeopathy treatment is the best treatment for dengue fever. The homeopathy method is most reliable and does not have any side-effects. Every year number of patients are prescribed homeopathic medicines to help manage their symptoms.
1) Homeopathic medicines help in reducing the acute discomfort that patients feel.
2) Homeopathy provides safe and effective pain relief in these patients while keeping the range of fever low. The patient often complains of severe headache and joint pains during dengue fever. Allopathy pain killers can increase the risk of bleeding which is an important reason why homeopathy has gain popularity amongst patients.
3) Transfusion of blood or platelets can be avoided with homeopathic treatment.
4) In case of severe dengue, infection homeopathy can help in the quick cessation of bleeding.
5) Homeopathy medicines help in the rapid return of platelet counts to normal readings.
6) Homeopathic medicines can be used as preventive before a definitive diagnosis comes in, as they are entirely safe. Medicines help in increasing the person s immunity to such a level that any active disease will not produce in the person s body even after mosquito bites.
7) Homeopathic medicines do not show any side effects, so medicines can also be given to pregnant women suffering from dengue.
8) Homeopathy helps in keeping the course of illness short.
9) Homeopathy medicines help in reducing the severity of disease by developing antibodies against toxic antigens.
10) Homeopathic medicines such as Eupatorium perfoliatum helps in relieving symptoms, such as fever and severe unbearable bone pains. Carica papaya is one of the best medicines for stimulating the platelet formation. Bryonia Alba, China, Rhus tox, Phosphorus, and Arsenic album are other infallible medicines for dengue.