Danger signs of Dengue
A dengue infected patient could suffer from fever, headache, body ache, pain in the joints, pain behind the eyeballs or back pain.
The pain could be severely intense. Besides, there could be loss of appetite, bad taste, vomiting etc. as well. Cold, cough, sore throat, watery eyes and red eyes are also being noticed as the symptoms of this infection. But, fever, headache and red rash are the three main signs of dengue.
The critical period begins after defervescence. Blood loss caused by dengue and dengue shock syndrome can happen at this phase.
Steps to be taken at home
As soon as fever and other symptoms are noticed during dengue season, get the dengue NS1 test done on the first or second day.
The patient has to be kept in physical and mental rest. They could take Paracetamol-like medication to reduce the fever but not more than four times in every 24 hours.
Give repeated sponge baths under the fan. And, apply wet towels to the forehead.
Drink enough water. Apart from that, drink coconut water, oral saline, soup, milk, fruit juice etc. as well.
Do not take painkillers or aspirin-like medication.
Many children experience convulsion when the body temperature rises high. If that happens, take physicians’ advice alongside controlling the temperature.
Be absolutely cautious if the condition starts worsening 24 hours after the fever subsides. The quantity of platelet and hematocrit should be checked through blood test. If the platelet count keeps decreasing, go to the hospital immediately. Transfusion of platelet might be needed if the count drops below 10,000 or the bleeding starts.
Know the danger signs
If symptoms of acute dengue start showing up, the patient must be admitted to the hospital. So, looking out for the danger signs of dengue is a must.
These danger signs are severe pain in the stomach, three plus times vomiting in 24 hours, inability to eat anything, bleeding from the gum or nose, bleeding with vomiting or excretion, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, irritable mood and restlessness, incoherent speech, drop of body temperature from fever to below normal, rapid decrease of platelet count or the hematocrit level in blood going up etc.
* Lieutenant Colonel Dr Nasir Uddin Ahmed, medicine specialist, CMH.