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Tips to Prevent Dengue Fever

By Lakshmi Menon, Bangalore

During monsoon the number of Dengue fever cases rises as soon as humidity levels surge.

What is Dengue fever?

Dengue fever is caused by four types of viruses spread through mosquito bites, particularly the female Aedes aegypti species, which transmits the dengue virus. Once the mosquito bites an uninfected person, he/she becomes infected. The mosquito is usually infected for lifetime.

What are the symptoms of Dengue fever?

The usual symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. Severe dengue can cause belly pain, vomiting, bleeding from the nose, and extreme fatigue, lasting for 8 to 10 days.

8 Tips to prevent Dengue fever

1. Eliminate stagnant water from the surroundings of your house collected in containers such as flower pots, plastic bottles, buckets, or discarded tyres.

2. Check and reassure that the outdoor areas of your house such as gutters, drains, and plant saucers where water is not accumulated.

3. Frequently clean water storage tanks and containers to prevent mosquito breeding, and ensure that they are properly covered.

4. Use Mosquito Repellents in all the rooms.

5. Whenever possible wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes, especially early morning and late afternoon when chances are more for mosquito bites.

6. Take protective measures such as sleeping under mosquito nets, particularly if you're in an area with high mosquito activity. Ensure that windows and doors are fitted with screens to prevent the entry of mosquitoes to your house.

7. Maintain a clean surroundings around your home and community to reduce mosquito breeding sites, especially by disposing garbage properly.

8. Seek medical attention promptly if you experience any of these Dengue fever symptoms.

Prevention is always better than cure.

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