Get tested for dengue if you see symptoms
September 25, 20245 Mins Read

Many people worry about dengue fever. Dengue is a viral disease. During this time dengue fever increased. Generally, dengue outbreak occurs from July to October. The number of illnesses, hospitalizations or deaths due to this disease is not at all low. Doctors say that if you get treatment at the right time, there is not much risk of death in this disease. But if the disease is neglected, it can become complicated. If you see any symptoms in any body, you will know that you have dengue fever and what you can do in that case, know.

Dengue test

When to go to the hospital:

In case of dengue, what kind of treatment to take, whether to stay at home or in hospital, depends on its type or category. There are three types or categories of dengue fever 'A', 'B' and 'C'.

Patients in the first category are normal. They only have fever. Most dengue patients are of 'A' category. They do not require hospitalization. Resting at home is enough.

Category 'B' dengue patients may require hospitalization. Certain symptoms, such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, congenital problems, kidney or liver problems, are recommended for hospitalization.

Category 'C' dengue fever is the worst. It can damage liver, kidney, brain. Some cases may require an intensive care unit or ICU.

Know few facts about dengue fever:

1. What are the symptoms of dengue?

Common symptoms of dengue are fever. Temperatures may range from 101 degrees to 102 degrees. Fever may persist, and fever may recur after fever is relieved by sweating. This can be accompanied by body aches, headaches, pain behind the eyes and red spots on the skin (rash). But even if these are not there can be dengue.

2. Do you worry if you have a fever?

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Professor of Medicine ABM Abdullah says, now that it is dengue season, fever should not be neglected. Professor Abdullah advises to consult a doctor immediately if you have a fever.

He says that those who died due to dengue fever neglected the fever. If the fever is accompanied by cold-cough, burning in urination or any other issue, then it may be something other than dengue. However, if you have a fever, you should be aware.

3. Must rest

One of the directors of the Communicable Disease Control or Infectious Disease Control Department of the government. Sania Tahmina said, if you have a fever, you should rest. He advises not to run with a fever. It is better not to do the hard work that a person normally does on a daily basis. Complete rest is required.

4. what to eat

Drink plenty of fluids. For example – bottled water, lemon juice, fruit juice and food saline can be taken. It's not that you have to drink a lot of water, you have to take watery foods.

5. Medicines that should not be taken

Professor Tahmina said, Paracetamol can be consumed in case of dengue fever. An adult of normal weight can take a maximum of four paracetamol per day.

Doctors say that the maximum dose of paracetamol is four grams per day. But if a person has liver, heart and kidney complications, then a doctor must be consulted before consuming paracetamol.

Aspirin should not be taken for body pain if you are suffering from dengue fever. Taking medicines like aspirin during dengue can cause bleeding.

6. Worried about platelets or blood cells?

Professor Tahmina pointed out that platelets or blood cells are no longer the main factor in dengue fever. He said, there is no need to worry about the platelet count. It is better to leave the matter to the doctor. Normally, a person's blood has a platelet count of one and a half to four and a half lakh.

7. Duration of dengue fever

Dengue fever usually occurs from July to October. Because Aedes mosquito spreads during this period. But this time it appears that the period of dengue fever has advanced. Now the dengue fever season is starting from June.

8. When do Aedes mosquitoes bite?

The Aedes mosquito responsible for dengue fever does not bite in the dark. Aedes mosquitoes are usually active in the early morning and early evening. Aedes mosquitoes never bite in the dark.

9. Do not retain water

Professor Abdullah says, Aedes mosquito is known as 'gentle mosquito'. He mentioned that these mosquitoes live in beautiful houses. The Aedes mosquito usually lays its eggs in clear water. Somewhere so that water does not accumulate for more than three to five days. This water can accumulate anywhere. Aedes mosquitoes breed in the water collected on the roof of the house or in the flower tub of the balcony, at various points of the building under construction, tires lying on the side of the road or other containers.

When to get tested for dengue:

The first thing is to consult a doctor if you have a fever. Not every fever is dengue. Self-diagnosed for dengue leaves other common causes of fever, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, typhoid, flu, etc., undiagnosed. This applies even more to children and the elderly. More important than the examination are the patient's signs, symptoms, and physical examination data. So let the doctor understand first.

Second, results may vary from the first day to the next 10 days of dengue fever in different tests. So self-testing can be confusing. Remember when the fever first started to help the doctor make a decision. Dengue NS1 antigen should be positive from the very first day of fever. But from the fourth or fifth day it becomes negative again. So if the fever lasts more than four to five days, then there is no use in doing this test. In that case dengue IgM antibody test can be done. At this time it will come positive. Again after 9-10 days it also comes negative report. Then IgG antibody shows positive. These issues are complex, so leave it up to the doctor to decide when to do which.

Thirdly, if dengue NS1 is negative, it is difficult to say with 100% certainty that it is not dengue. Decisions should be made based on signs, symptoms and other test results. Many people see NS1 positive in one lab one day and get a negative report in another lab the next day or two. They were more confused. Keep in mind that it is not unusual for an NS1 test to initially be positive and then become negative after a day or two.

Fourth, there are many other tests with dengue antigens or antibodies, which are important. Such as white blood cells, hematocrit, platelet count, blood albumin, liver enzyme SGPT etc. Antigen tests alone may miss these important facts.