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Surely you are familiar with this one disease. Especially during the rainy season, many people experience symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever.
But unfortunately there are still many people who like to ignore this disease. So that it’s not too late, let’s recognize the symptoms of DHF or dengue fever below!
What is dengue?
Dengue fever or DHF is a dangerous disease caused by the dengue virus through the bite of the aedes aegypty mosquito .
DHF (dengue fever) symptoms are often misunderstood by most people, because the symptoms are almost similar to flu or other viral diseases.
It is one of the infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes, and is often found in tropical climates such as Indonesia. This disease, if not taken seriously, can be fatal.
Characteristics of dengue mosquitoes
The main cause of dengue fever is the Aedes aegypti mosquito . This mosquito is very easy to recognize, as it has different characteristics from other mosquitoes. The Aedes aegypti mosquito has white stripes on its legs.
Quoting from Dengue Virus, mosquitoes that have a size of 4 to 7 millimeters are very active in the morning and afternoon. Unfortunately, most people often have the misconception that these mosquitoes are nocturnal animals.
In addition, there are some other characteristics of dengue mosquitoes, namely:
- Dengue mosquitoes are highly active in tropical and sub-tropical regions, such as Asia, Africa, and South America.
- Only female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bite humans. Male mosquitoes only eat fruit
- The buzz of the Aedes aegypti mosquito is louder and ‘noisier’ than other mosquitoes
- The mouthparts of dengue mosquitoes are pointed, making it easy to bite and suck human blood.
- The sharp mouthparts of the Aedes aegypti mosquito contain the dengue virus which will automatically spread to human blood vessels.
- The body of the Aedes aegypti mosquito resembles the shape of a lyre on its chest.
- Female dengue mosquitoes prefer to live in clean water or puddles
Also Read: Dengvaxia DHF Vaccine: Instructions for Use and Side Effects
Symptoms of dengue fever
Some people may only know that the symptom of dengue fever is an increase in body temperature. In fact, there are still other dengue fever symptoms to watch out for. Here are some symptoms of DHF (dengue fever) that you should pay attention to:
1. Sudden high fever characterized by a horse’s saddle
Fever is indeed one of the common diseases that can happen to anyone, but this high fever can be one of the first symptoms that you are infected with dengue fever.
The difference is that if you get this disease, it will usually occur suddenly with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. This fever usually lasts for 2 to 7 days.
Usually on the 3rd to 4th day, the fever will suddenly decrease by itself and then rise again. But don’t get it wrong, it’s a sign that you’re about to enter the next phase.
2. Muscle pain
After a fever phase of 2 to 7 days, you will usually be accompanied by muscle aches. Usually you will feel a fever accompanied by chills and sweating. If these things happen at the same time, you might have this disease.
The pain will make the patient’s body experience pain in the joints and muscles throughout the body. This certainly makes the sufferer feel uncomfortable and stressed.
3. Nausea and vomiting
Usually the patient will experience digestive problems such as nausea and vomiting that lasts for 2 to 4 days. Unusual abdominal pain that makes the patient will experience nausea and vomiting.
4. Headache and eye pain at the back
Usually people affected by this disease will feel a severe headache after a few hours of fever. The pain is felt around the forehead and also hurts the back of the eyes.
This feeling will make it difficult for sufferers to carry out their activities such as working, walking, thinking, and so on.
5. Fatigue
Symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, and nausea and vomiting can make the patient lose their appetite.
Of course, this can cause your body to become tired due to lack of food intake. In addition, your immune system also becomes weak.
6. Skin spots
The appearance of a reddish rash or DHF spots on the skin is the most common symptom in children and adults besides fever. The rash is different from other skin disorders.
According to Medscape, DHF spots will usually appear on day 3, and last 2-3 days, or even longer. DHF spots generally appear on almost all parts of the body, including the face. Over time, the spots may turn redder.
Dengue spots are different from measles. In measles, the spots resemble small bumps. Whereas in DHF, the spots do not protrude upwards or flat.
Symptoms of DHF in children
Quoting from Kids Health, the symptoms of DHF in children are not much different from adults. It’s just that the signs might be painful. This is because the child’s body is still very sensitive and does not have as strong an immune system as an adult.
The easiest to detect characteristics of dengue fever in children are persistent high fever with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Fever can occur 4 to 2 weeks after a mosquito bite, usually lasting 2 to 7 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that in addition to fever, the characteristics of dengue fever in children that are often overlooked are dehydration.
Babies urinate less frequently, and their mouths and tongues dry out. If the characteristics of dengue fever have appeared, parents must take immediate action.
Phases of dengue fever
Dengue symptoms do not appear immediately, but gradually. This condition can be seen from the phases of dengue fever itself, namely:
1. Fever phase
This phase usually lasts between 2-7 days in which the patient will experience high fever, muscle pain, severe headache, reddened gums, and red spots on the skin due to mild bleeding under the skin.
In addition, some patients may also experience other signs of bleeding such as nosebleeds, vomiting, and bloody bowel movements.
Treatment in this phase is usually done to reduce fever by giving paracetamol.
Patients can usually do outpatient care at home and are advised to increase fluid intake, such as water, ORS, fruit juice and milk.
2. Critical phase
This phase is a time when the patient’s condition can be good or bad and occurs for 3 to 7 days. Usually the patient will experience a decrease in body temperature to normal.
But do not be mistaken, if this phase is ignored the patient’s platelets will continue to decrease drastically and can result in bleeding that is not realized.
This transitional phase is the highest risk as it is subject to blood vessel leakage. Indications that may occur include continuous vomiting, nosebleeds, liver enlargement, and unbearable abdominal pain.
3. Healing phase
If the patient does not deteriorate, the healing phase will occur 48 to 72 hours after the fever decreases. Patients will feel better and platelets will increase.
In addition, the patient will also experience an increase in appetite and the abdominal pain will disappear.
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