What are the treatment options for dengue fever?

Papaya leaves....treatment for dengue fever and through Spray

Because dengue is a virus there is no specific treatment or cure, however there are things the patient or the doctor can do to help, depending on the severity of the disease.

For milder forms of dengue the treatment methods are:

• Prevent dehydration - high fever and vomiting can dehydrate the body. Make sure you drink clean (ideally bottled) water rather than tap water. Rehydration salts can also help replace fluids and minerals.
• Painkillers - this can help lower fever and ease pain. As some NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen can increase the risk of internal bleeding, patients are advised to use Tylenol (paracetamol) instead.

The following treatment options are designed for the more severe forms of dengue fever:

• Intravenous fluid supplementation (IV drip) - in some harsher cases of dengue the patient is unable to take fluids orally (via the mouth) and will need to receive an IV drip.
• Bloood transfusion - a blood transfusion may be recommended for patients with severe dehydration.
• Hospital care - it is important that you be treated by medical professionals, this way you can be properly monitored (e.g. fluid levels, blood pressure) in case your symptoms worsen. If the patient is cared for by physicians and nurses experienced with the effects and complications of hemorrhagic fever, lives can be saved. 

Article source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471.php

What is Dengue Fever?

Dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever, is a mosquito-borne infection that causes a severe flu-like illness. There are four different viruses that can cause dengue fever, all of which spread by a certain type of mosquito. Dengue can vary from mild to severe; the more severe forms include dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Patients who develop the more serious forms of dengue fever usually need to be hospitalized.

There are currently no vaccines for Dengue fever. The best way to prevent the disease is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes altogether. Although there is no certain treatment for Dengue, it can be treated as long as it is caught before developing into dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever.

There are up to 100 million cases of dengue fever worldwide every year; the most common occurrences are in urban parts of subtropical and tropical areas, such as Central and South America, parts of Africa, parts of Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific . Dengue is just as prevalent in urban districts of its range as in rural areas (unlike malaria).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

• Approximately 2.5 billion people, or two-fifths of the world's population, are now at risk from dengue.
• The disease is now endemic in over 100 countries.
• Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian countries.
• In 2007, there were over 890,000 reported cases of dengue in the Americas, of which 26,000 cases were DHF.
• Dengue infection rates among people who have not been previously exposed to the virus are commonly 40% to 50% during epidemics, but may sometimes reach 80% to 90%.
• Approximately half-a-million people with DHF are hospitalized each year, of whom many are children. About 2.5% of these patients die.
• DHF fatality reads may exceed 20% if untreated. If there is access to medical care with health care professionals trained in treating DHF, the death rate may be less than 1%.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary:

Dengue is "A disease of many tropic and subtropic regions that can occur epidemically; caused by dengue virus, a member of the family Flaviviridae"

 

Article source :  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179471.php