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How To Combat Dengue Fever

Submitted by Loring A. Windblad on December 18, 2009

Dengue fever is also known as bone crusher disease and is caused by mosquitoes that carry the illness from an infected person to a healthy one, or by shared use of products that come directly in contact with the blood of an infected and a healthy person. It is known as the bone crusher disease because it causes pain in the joints that make a patient feel like his or her bones are being crushed.

Dengue fever most often manifests in the occurrence of fever, accompanied with nausea and joint pains. At times, it can also cause a rash that occurs near the abdominal area. The fever usually lasts for approximately six or seven days and will cause the patient to have a lowered platelet count.

Other symptoms of dengue fever include vomiting, constant headaches, pain experienced in the eyes, loss of appetite and dizziness. At times there occurs the tendency to hemorrhage easily, leading to continuous bleeding from where the needle of an injection has punctured the skin, or passing blood in the stools. Bruising of the skin is also elevated and the slightest impact could cause the skin to turn color.

The primary method of controlling dengue fever is to keep the area in which you live free from mosquitoes. Most mosquitoes breed on stagnant water and in containers that provide them with suitable conditions for breeding. Old tires that are left lying around and plastic or cardboard containers that have been discarded provide them with the most suitable conditions.

Ensuring that all these items are removed from areas that surround your house and by ensuring that water is kept flowing, will help to lower the number of mosquitoes. Another effective method of keeping the area around your house free from mosquitoes is by burning the leaves of the citronella plant.

Citronella is a well known natural insect repellent and is widely used in mosquito repellent products.

The scent of these leaves is very pleasant to smell, but insects cannot stand the scent emitted by these leaves. Meshing the windows and doors of the house will help to keep mosquitoes out to a certain extent. When a person begins to show symptoms of dengue fever, however, it is imperative that medical advice be solicited from a medical professional.

In the event that hemorrhaging begins to appear, the use of pain killers must be avoided because they tend to aggravate the hemorrhagic condition. The consumption of orange juice is highly recommended because it provides the body with nutrients and vitamins that help to fight the illness.