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Showing posts from July, 2016

How to recognize Dengue Fever: Do and Don't

Dengue fever is caused by virus transmitted via tiger mosquito bite which is endemic in tropical area but can occur everywhere in the world. The virus has four sero-types, which mean one person can has dengue infection four times in his or her life time. The severity of the illness varies greatly from a simple febrile illness to a severe, life threatening condition. However, majority of patients develop mild disease only. The presentation of the disease follows three phases: 1- febrile phase: it is the first stage when the patient develop high fever and usually not response to anti=pyretic medications. Abdominal pain, vomiting and poor appetite can also occur. It usually last from 2-7 days (mean 3-4days). 2- Afebrile/critical phase: this stage, fever start to come down and warning signs can develop depending on the severity of the disease. Medical attention is needed in this period as it can progress rapidly and the patient can die at this stage if dangers signs are not recognized.