Dengue fever: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Homeopathic Treatment

Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever, is a painful, debilitating mosquito-borne disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito known as ‘Aedes aegypti’. When this mosquito bites any person having the dengue virus in their blood, it gets infected. Then this virus gets transmitted into any healthy human through biting by this infected mosquito.

Dengue is not a communicable disease and its virus can’t be spread from one person to another directly.

PREVALENCE

Dengue is prevalent throughout the tropics and subtropics. As per a study, worldwide, an estimated 390 million dengue infections occur each year, and about 96 million result in illness. 

INCUBATION PERIOD

Symptoms, usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days; however, it can take up to a month for complete recovery.

SYMPTOMS OF DENGUE FEVER

When a person is infected with the dengue virus, he gets milder symptoms of fever and becomes physically weak and lethargic. The following symptoms can be observed in an infected person:

• Sudden, high fever
• Severe headaches
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe joint and muscle pain
• Nausea & vomiting
• Skin rashes on the body typically begin on day 3 and remain for 2-3 days.
• Bleeding from any part of the body such as a nosebleed and bleeding gums.

COMPLICATIONS OF DENGUE FEVER

If fever is not controlled timely, some people may develop a more serious form of the disease known as “Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever”.

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever: –

The following can be the risk factors for hemorrhagic dengue fever:

• A person has antibodies against the dengue virus due to a previous infection
• Being under the age of 12
• Being female
• Caucasian race
• Weakened immune system

Symptoms of Hemorrhagic fever are characterized by:

• High fever
• Damage to the lymphatic system
• Damage to blood vessels
• Bleeding from the nose
• Bleeding from the gums
• Liver enlargement
• Circulatory system failure

Symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever can lead to dengue shock syndrome as a complication.

A severe form of Dengue is “Dengue shock syndrome”, which can lead to excessive bleeding and even death.

Some rare complications of dengue virus infections may occur such as:

• Febrile convulsions
• Severe dehydration
• Cardiomyopathy
• Seizures,
• Encephalopathy
• Liver disorders like viral encephalitis
• Hepatic injury
• Depression
• Pneumonia
• Iritis
• Orchitis
• Oophoritis
• Death

Diagnosis

The following tests are required to diagnose Dengue fever:

• Antibody titer for dengue virus types
• Complete blood count (CBC) – To check White Blood Cells (WBC) and Platelets level
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for dengue virus types
• Dengue NS1 antigen test – It should be conducted within the first five days of the onset of symptoms
• IgM-Elisa test after five days

Treatment of Dengue Fever

No specific treatment is available to treat Dengue. According to symptoms, the following treatment can be given to give quick relief: 

• In high fever and pain, you can take a mild painkiller but avoid medicines like aspirin, which can increase bleeding. 
• Take plenty of water, juices, and fluids.
• Take proper rest. 
• If symptoms get worse, visit your doctor or hospital.

Prevention of Dengue Fever

Dengue prevention and control depends on effective vector control measures. Monsoon season is the most favorable season for the breeding of mosquitoes.

By prohibiting mosquito breeding by avoiding the accumulation of water in your surroundings and by following these do’s and don’ts, you can prevent dengue fever:-

Do’s and Don’ts for Preventing Dengue Fever

Do’s: –

• Prevent the entry of mosquitoes into your home by installing screens on windows.
• Use mosquito repellents like creams, mats, and coils. Using mosquito nets while sleeping is the best prevention.
• Dengue-carrying mosquitoes bite mostly on the hands, knees, legs, neck, and ears. Therefore, protect these areas by covering them or by wearing full-sleeved clothes.
• Eliminate all mosquito breeding sites and prevent water-logging in your surroundings
• Regular cleaning of water tanks and water coolers.
• Keep all your water resources fully covered.
• Clean your water storage containers regularly as Dengue mosquitoes can breed only in clean water, not in dirty water.
• Your children should be educated about dengue and how it’s spread, and also keep a close watch on their activities.

Don’ts: –

• Do not accumulate old tires, tubes, plastic containers, water tanks, etc. as they provide favorable conditions for mosquito breeding.
• Do not allow your children to wear short-sleeved clothes and play in water puddles and stagnant water bodies.
• Do not assume symptoms and self-medicate
• Avoid collection of water anywhere in or near your home.
• Avoid wearing dark-colored clothes as Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors.
• Avoid Perfumes – Mosquitoes are attracted by perfumes and heavily scented soaps, so avoid using them.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR DENGUE FEVER

Homeopathy works based on individuality. In the case of dengue, homeopathic medicines for dengue fever are selected after a full case analysis and the symptoms similarity of the patient.

There are many homeopathy medicines for dengue including Aconitum napellus, Arsenic album, Belladonna, Bryonia alba, Eupatorium perfoliatum, Ferrum phosphoricum, Gelsemium, Ipecacuanha, Natrum muriaticum, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, and Rhus toxicodendron which are prescribed based on symptom similarity.

Carica papaya homeopathic medicine for platelet count is useful for increasing WBC and platelets.

Tinospora cordifolia is an effective homeopathy medicine for dengue and helps to lower the body temperature very fast.

Eupatorium perfoliatum, also known as ‘bone-set’ is effective in the prevention as well as management of Dengue Fever, when there is a pain in the eyes with severe aching pain in the back and bones of extremities. There are many homeopathy medicines for chikungunya. 

So, we can say homeopathy is very effective in managing and preventing Dengue fever and other febrile conditions.