Im goin 2 India this month wit my mum + dad, but recently heard there is a dengue fever outbreak...?
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Hi,
There is an outbreak of dengue fever here. The exact places where there is an outbreak cannot be told because it is occuring in parts. We are in mumbai, there is dengue epidemic here too but not near our place because of well maintained hygeinic conditions.
If you are a foreingner, your immunity has to be very low as against ours. Get vaccinated and visit the beauties of India.
You are always welcome to our country. Just be carefull.
I haven't heard anything like that, but you can check out the World Health Organization (www.who.org) website and they post those kinds of things on there. If there is an outbreak, be sure to wear insect repellent and protect yourself against mosquitoes.
I went to Honduras a year ago and they had a dengue fever outbreak there at the time too. I didn't have any problem with it, I just made sure to protect myself against insect bites. This also helps to prevent many other kinds of infections, including Malaria.
Have a great trip!
Hospitals overwhelmed as dengue fever sweeps India : Randeep Ramesh in New Delhi
Friday October 6, 2006
The Guardian
An outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases across India has left scores of people dead and swamped hospitals and clinics, exposing the country's shabby public health system. Medical officials say almost 600 cases of dengue fever have been reported in India, with the death toll topping 93 in the past six weeks.
In the southern state of Kerala 71 people have died in the past month from a rare viral fever known as chikungunya, also carried by mosquitoes. But it is dengue that is causing the greatest concern after reports yesterday that three members of the prime minister's family were taken to hospital suffering with high fever, a dengue symptom.
There were scenes of panic earlier this week at Delhi's prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences when doctors had to turn away patients suspected of dengue because of a lack of blood.
The fever is not always fatal but in extreme cases patients might need a blood transfusion to replace platelets and stabilise internal organs. When a patient's platelet count drops the blood's clotting property diminishes and this raises the possibility of continuous bleeding and eventual death.
The cost of hospitalisation and treatment is high, especially when a blood transfusion is required.
After one American visitor to the Taj Mahal had to be taken to hospital with signs of dengue, trade bodies warned yesterday that tourism could be hit hard by the outbreak. "If the current threat arising out of dengue is not taken on with sufficient policy measures on a war footing, the tourist arrivals in India during peak season of October 2006 to February 2007 will also witness a substantial fall," said the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
Dengue fever is an infectious disease, transmitted by mosquitoes and found in hot and humid climates. The disease has cast a long shadow over Asia. In the Philippines there have been more than 160 fatalities this year. It is characterised by nose bleeds, headaches, high fever, and joint and muscle pain, and can lead to vomiting and nausea. The incubation period is usually two weeks.
In theory, dengue's spread is predictable in India and the onset of winter kills the mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Dengue should also be containable by destroying the breeding places of mosquitoes, such as stagnant water in homes and schools. However experts said there had been little forward planning in India.
Dengue Fever
OVERVIEW
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called "break-bone" fever because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking, hence the name. Health experts have known about dengue fever for more than 200 years.
Dengue fever is found mostly during and shortly after the rainy season in tropical and subtropical areas of
Africa
Southeast Asia and China
India
Middle East
Caribbean and Central and South America
Australia and the South and Central Pacific
An epidemic in Hawaii in 2001 is a reminder that many states in the United States are susceptible to dengue epidemics because they harbor the particular types of mosquitoes that transmit it.
Worldwide, more than 100 million cases of dengue infection occur each year. This includes 100 to 200 cases reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mostly in people who have recently traveled abroad. Many more cases likely go unreported because some health care providers do not recognize the disease.
During the last part of the 20th century, many tropical regions of the world saw an increase in dengue cases. Epidemics also occurred more frequently and with more severity. In addition to typical dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome also have increased in many parts of the world.
CAUSE
Dengue fever can be caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. You can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during your lifetime, but only once by the same type.
TRANSMISSION
You can get dengue virus infections from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite. Two main species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, have been responsible for all cases of dengue transmitted in this country. Dengue is not contagious from person to person.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of typical uncomplicated (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 5 to 6 days after you have been bitten by an infected mosquito and include
High fever, up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit
Severe headache
Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain
Severe joint and muscle pain
Nausea and vomiting
Rash
The rash may appear over most of your body 3 to 4 days after the fever begins. You may get a second rash later in the disease.
Symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever include all of the symptoms of classic dengue plus
Marked damage to blood and lymph vessels
Bleeding from the nose, gums, or under the skin, causing purplish bruises
This form of dengue disease can cause death.
Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome-the most severe form of dengue disease-include all of the symptoms of classic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, plus
Fluids leaking outside of blood vessels
Massive bleeding
Shock (very low blood pressure)
This form of the disease usually occurs in children (sometimes adults) experiencing their second dengue infection. It is sometimes fatal, especially in children and young adults.
DIAGNOSIS
Your health care provider can diagnose dengue fever by doing two blood tests, 2 to 3 weeks apart. The tests can show whether a sample of your blood contains antibodies to the virus. In epidemics, a health care provider often can diagnose dengue by typical signs and symptoms.
TREATMENT
There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever, and like most people you will recover completely within 2 weeks. To help with recovery, health care experts recommend
Getting plenty of bed rest
Drinking lots of fluids
Taking medicine to reduce fever
CDC advises people with dengue fever not to take aspirin. Acetaminophen or other over-the-counter pain-reducing medicines are safe for most people.
For severe dengue symptoms, including shock and coma, early and aggressive emergency treatment with fluid and electrolyte replacement can be lifesaving.
PREVENTION
The best way to prevent dengue fever is to take special precautions to avoid contact with mosquitoes. Several dengue vaccines are being developed, but none is likely to be licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in the next few years.
When outdoors in an area where dengue fever has been found
Use a mosquito repellant containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus
Dress in protective clothing-long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes
Because Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, be sure to use precautions especially during early morning hours before daybreak and in the late afternoon before dark.
Other precautions include
Keeping unscreened windows and doors closed
Keeping window and door screens repaired
Getting rid of areas where mosquitoes breed, such as standing water in flower pots, containers, birdbaths, discarded tires, etc.
COMPLICATIONS
Most people who develop dengue fever recover completely within 2 weeks. Some, however, may go through several weeks to months of feeling tired and/or depressed.
Yes, it is true, Indian state of Delhi reported 900 patients with dengue fever in one day last week. It is spreading like anything. Other parts of the India are affected by chic-kun-kunia (not sure about spelling!.
But I have a great Idea to save you from this fever!, send your parents to India, and you can come to my home. I assure a happy and memorable holiday for you, without the worries of dengue! (LOL)
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