Dengue Alarm

As storms or typhoons enter the Philippine area of responsibility, dengue hemorrhagic fever is a phenomenon. It is caused by the Aedes Aegypti female, a specie of mosquito known by its white stripes in its legs. They usually bite their host early in the morning and late afternoon because of the cold environment. The patient will experience headache, fever, vomiting, and dehydration. Unlike other common ailments, the patient with dengue hemorrhagic fever has intermittent hyperthermia or elevation of temperature with inconsistent occurrence or fever in the afternoon or until night. The patient must seek early medical consultation if fever persists more than 2 days. Avoid giving aspirin for the treatment of patient's fever since it will cause blood thinning leading to hemorrhage or severe bleeding. The most distinctive sign of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is petechiae which is visible after tourniquet test. If tourniquet is not available, one may use Blood Pressure Apparatus's bladder cuff and inflate it up to 20mmHg for 3-5 mins or until petechiae occurs. To prevent such fever, one may plant a nymph tree which acts as an insect repellent, use mosquito nets, spray insecticides with no chlorofluorocarbon to every corners of the house, and do the 4s Against Dengue of Department of Health (Search and Destroy, Seek early consultation,Self-protective measures and Say no to indiscriminate fogging) Learn more about Dengue! Be aware! Be safe!