Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease. It is transmitted by the bite of ‘Aedes’ species of mosquitoes that breed in containers with clear and stagnant water. Primary symptoms of dengue are headache, high fever, vomiting, joint pain, muscle pain, etc. Experts say that dengue virus has four types of infection.
Every year over 50 million people get contracted by this virus acquire dengue fever. The situation is even worse for the people who adopt repeat infections. They might come down with haemorrhagic fever, liver damage or internal bleeding in some cases. The dengue virus comes in 4 strains and immunity to one tends to make infection by a second strain more dangerous. Therefore, a subsequent infection of another type extends the risk of severe complications. According to a research by Dengue Antigenic Cartography Consortium, there is a considerable antigenic difference within each dengue serotype.
Doctors claims that it is comparatively easier to recover from dengue if a person is infected for the first time. However, if the person contracts the infection again, the response of antibodies is more robust this time. This will aggravate the symptoms further, which might result in acute sickness.
There are no specific treatments or vaccines available for dengue. Therefore, the best measure is to stay safe by taking adequate precautions in order to prevent dengue infections. As they say ‘prevention is better than cure’. Some of the precaution measures contributing to dengue prevention are:
Stagnant or accumulated water is the most preferred breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes One must not store water in open containers but instead use containers with lids. Regularly cleaning of water storage tank/vessels will keep dengue mosquitoes form breeding .
It is important to keep your surroundings free of unwanted waste like broken pots, tyres, oil drums etc. which may become a source of water collection. It is also necessary to clean the rooftops, floors and furniture with disinfectants regularly to keep the place uncontaminated.
Always use a mosquito net while taking a nap. Cover your windows with screens to avoid mosquitoes from entering your house.
Using mosquito repellents like Mortein will keep the mosquitoes away and reduce chances of contracting the infection. For continuous protection always use Mortein Insta5 which is two times faster than ordinary repellents.
