HEALTH

Ways to Successfully Fight Dengue Symptoms

According to recent statistics, from January 2019 to November 2019, 132 cases of death due to dengue have been reported in India. Dengue is a viral infection that is spread via bites from infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. It is especially common in countries with tropical and subtropical climates like India, South America, and Africa.

Causes of dengue include four types of dengue virus which are –

  1. DENV – 1
  2. DENV – 2
  3. DENV – 3
  4. DENV – 4

An individual infected by any one of these serotypes develops immunity against it. However, that person may have a chance of getting affected by the other three serotypes.

Dengue is differentiated based on the severity, and its symptoms may vary in each case.  A person can experience –

  • Mild dengue fever.
  • Dengue haemorrhagic fever.
  • Dengue shock syndrome.

While mild dengue symptoms can bring about slight discomfort to the patient, prompt treatment is crucial in case of the last two, or it may turn out to be fatal. This is why it is essential to have a good idea about the symptoms for all three types of dengue fever.

Common dengue fever symptoms

Dengue fever symptoms usually appear 4 to 6 days after one has contracted the infection and stays for a period of 10 days. The symptoms of mild dengue fever are as follows –

  • Fatigue.
  • Nausea.
  • Severe headache.
  • High fever.
  • Vomiting.
  • Skin rash, usually seen 2 to 5 days after the appearance of fever.
  • Bleeding in nose or gums.
  • Bruising.

Symptoms of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHH)

  1. Weak pulse.
  2. Tiny Blood spots below skin.
  3. Internal bleeding.
  4. Low platelet count.
  5. Sensitive stomach.
  6. Bleeding in nose and gums.
  7. Damaged blood vessels and lymph.

Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome (DSS)

  • Disorientation.
  • Low blood pressure.
  • Frequent vomiting.
  • Heavy bleeding.
  • Fluid leaking blood vessels.

How to treat dengue symptoms

There is no proper medicine or treatment available yet to cure dengue. Individuals suffering from mild dengue can follow the dengue treatment steps below aside from consulting a professional medical advisor –

  1. Drink lots of water and other fluids to prevent dehydration.
  2. Take appropriate medication for dengue fever prevention and pain.
  3. Take ample rest.

However, if one is exhibiting symptoms of DHH or DSS, he or she should be admitted to a hospital immediately under the supervision of a medical professional.

Expenses incurred due to hospitalisation, medication, doctor’s fee can be quite substantial. For such an instance, you can consider having an insurance plan in place for the necessary financial coverage. Insurance aggregators like Bajaj Finserv provide Pocket Insurance & Subscriptions including the Dengue Cover insurance plan under which you can avail financial compensation for healthcare expenses incurred.

Apart from dengue insurance cover, one can also avail some preventive measures to safeguard against dengue symptoms.

Dengue fever prevention

The only way to prevent dengue symptoms is to avoid getting bitten by the virus-carrying mosquito.

One can follow the steps below to reduce the chances –

  • Wearing appropriate clothing that will reduce skin exposure.
  • Using mosquito nets at night.
  • Putting up a window screen or netting.
  • Prevent accumulation of stagnant water.

Dengue and other vector-borne diseases usually require long bed rest as part of the recovery process. This can be inconvenient for salaried individuals as it can lead to loss of income other than obvious expenses. An insurance cover such as hospital cash cover in place can to help them to deal with everyday expenses during the treatment and post-treatment period.

Dengue is most common in India during the monsoon season as this season provides the perfect breeding environment for virus-carrying mosquitoes. Hence, if you live in a region where it rains a lot, you should consider opting for insurance plans such as the monsoon cover insurance policy which will provide the financial protection from not only dengue symptoms but also other related diseases as well.