Dengue outbreak: What are the symptoms and preventive measures of the fever? Know it all

As India continues to battle dengue cases, the central government is also taking measures concerning the escalation in infection. Earlier on Wednesday, high-level teams were rushed to nine states and union territories for helping them in carrying out effective measures to control it. Delhi being among the worst-affected areas has currently recorded more than 1,200 dengue cases in October which is the highest for the month in the past four years. 

Apart from that, other states including Haryana, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu, and Kashmir among others are also reporting active cases of dengue infection.  As a part of it, initiatives have been taken by the concerned departments such as hotspot identification, fogging, giving proper treatment, and others.

As dengue cases continue to rise, it is important for people to know all about the symptoms followed by the preventive measures that can be taken against the deadly dengue fever. Apart from that, people also need to understand the kind of fever they have which can be an outcome of dengue or even a normal viral infection.

What are the symptoms of dengue?

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of the common symptoms of dengue include nausea, vomiting, rashes, aches, pain accompanied by high fever. Apart from that, the symptoms usually last for 2 to 7 days and people recover within a period of one week. However, in serious conditions, symptoms can prevail for more days that can result in internal bleeding among patients leading to death.

Some serious symptoms of severe dengue include belly pain, vomiting thrice or more in 24 hours, bleeding from the nose, vomiting blood, feeling tired, among others. 

Preventive measures against viral fever

Catching a dengue infection is very common across the world as around 400 million people are infected with dengue fever every year. However, such infections can be avoided by taking certain preventive measures.

• Applying mosquito repellent while being outside.
• Wearing protective clothing with long sleeves and long pants covering most of the skin.
• Keeping surroundings clean is very important for avoiding dengue infection as dengue mosquitoes breed in dirty places and stagnant water pools. 
• Using mosquito nets on windows also helps in preventing mosquitoes to enter the house.  Apart from that, homes should be well ventilated to ensure a good amount of sunlight. 

Differentiate between dengue and viral fever

While the symptoms of dengue fever and viral fever may seem the same, there are still several differences that a person can notice while differentiating between the two. While viral fever below 100°F can be a sign of viral fever, however, a temperature above this can be concerning and must be immediately addressed.

A viral fever lasts for 3 to 5 days, whereas, dengue fever lasts for around a week and even lasts longer if not treated properly.

Similarly, viral fever is contagious and can pass from one person to another, however, dengue cannot be transmitted through touch and is not airborne. 

As the dengue outbreak continues in India, health officials have outlined a strain, the DENV-2 or D2 which is causing a sudden rise in cases. The new strain comes with some serious symptoms like vomiting, high-grade fever, altered sensorium, joint pains, and others.

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