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What Are the Dengue Symptoms in Children?
Dengue Symptoms In Child?
One of the worst illnesses spread by mosquitoes during the monsoon season in India is dengue. It is brought on when a dengue virus mosquito bites a healthy individual. More than 500 million people are plagued by mosquito-borne illnesses, resulting in roughly 2.7 million fatalities yearly. The most harmful illnesses are malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, the Zika virus, and dengue fever.
In India, dengue is prevalent, and new outbreaks are continually breaking up throughout the nation. High fever and a fast platelet reduction are two indicators of dengue, although children and adults experience these symptoms and their severity differently. Parents may feel anxious when a child contracts dengue since the illness lasts 10 to 14 days. In this post, you will learn about dengue in children.
What Is Dengue Fever?
The female Aedes mosquito is the carrier of dengue illness. The term “tiger mosquito” refers to the distinctive striped pattern on the abdomen of this particular type of mosquito. These mosquitoes are often found in warm, humid regions like stagnant water to survive. As a result, dengue is far more common during the rainy season. Contrary to other disease-carrying insects, the Aedes mosquito strikes during the day.
These mosquitoes usually attack in the early morning and late afternoon, just before dusk. Your youngster may suffer from a high temperature, headaches, bodily discomfort, exhaustion, and other symptoms from dengue. Although it is a flu-like sickness with mild to moderate signs, dengue shock syndrome and severe dengue hemorrhagic fever may sometimes develop.
Dengue In Child?
Even though you feed your kids a nutritious diet, their immune systems are still growing, making them more susceptible to illness. In addition, adolescents spend a significant amount of time outside and may thus be exposed to bacteria and viruses.
The bite of an Aedes mosquito transmits dengue fever. Therefore, it is advisable to remove any standing water inside and outside the home, as these areas might serve as breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
Dengue Symptoms In Children
In comparison to adults, children often have less severe dengue symptoms. Here are a few possible signs of dengue in infants:
Longer than five days with a high temperature
Decreased body temperature (less than 96.8 degrees F)
A skin rash
Daily vomiting many times
Nose and gum bleeding
Feeling constantly tired
Irritability
Lots many tears
Children and toddlers may also display the following signs:
Ocular discomfort or light sensitivity
Headache
Extreme fever
Muscle ache
Aching joints
Children with dengue may experience symptoms a few days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. In addition to the typical dengue signs, confident children may additionally go through the following:
Body patches
Nausea
Reduced appetite
Weakness
Incapacity to engage in physical activity
7 Warning Signs Of Dengue Fever In Child
Extreme Fatigue and Weakness Children with dengue fever often feel unusually tired and weak. This can be severe enough to make it difficult for them to carry out their normal activities, and they may seem lethargic or less responsive.
Dehydration Dengue fever can lead to dehydration due to fever, vomiting, and lack of appetite. Signs of dehydration in children include dry mouth, sunken eyes, decreased urination, and cool, clammy skin.
Rapid Breathing or Difficulty Breathing Some children may exhibit rapid breathing or signs of difficulty breathing, which can be a sign of a more serious form of the illness, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or shock.
Restlessness or Irritability Children with dengue fever may become unusually irritable or restless due to pain, fever, or discomfort. This can be a sign that the child is not feeling well and requires medical attention.
Cold or Clammy Skin In severe cases of dengue fever, the skin may become cold or clammy to the touch, which is a potential sign of shock. This requires immediate medical intervention.
Swollen Glands Lymph nodes around the neck, armpits, or groin may become swollen in children with dengue. This is usually a sign that the body is fighting off the infection.
Blood in Stool or Urine In more severe cases of dengue, children may pass blood in their stool or urine. This can indicate internal bleeding or the development of more serious complications, and it requires urgent medical attention.
If any of these additional signs are observed, it is critical to seek medical care right away.
What Is The Treatment Of Dengue?
Dengue fever has no known treatment at this time. However, there are methods to lessen the pain brought on by dengue and speed up your baby’s recovery.
Ensure your youngster consumes enough fluids, water, and nutritious meals. He must also get enough sleep since it is crucial to his rehabilitation. So, try to keep him on a regular sleeping pattern and watch out for fatigue. A balanced diet and enough sleep will strengthen his immune system and kill the virus.
If the joint and muscular pain becomes intolerable, it may upset your kid unnecessarily. Ask the paediatrician to prescribe acetaminophen or another analgesic as they do not lower blood platelet counts as ibuprofen does.
Notify the doctor if your child’s symptoms do not go away after obtaining adequate rest. There’s a possibility that it’s dengue hemorrhagic fever. For intravenous (IV) treatment to replace fluids and salts lost due to vomiting and diarrhoea, your kid may need to be hospitalised in that situation.
Additionally, the paediatrician may advise oxygen treatment while checking your baby’s blood pressure routinely.
A series of blood transfusions to replace the blood lost to the illness may be advised by the paediatrician if the signs of dengue are not going away after hospital care.
Dengue Prevention
Because prevention is always preferable to treatment, dengue fever may also be avoided by taking certain precautions.
Anti-mosquito products: Since Aedes mosquito bites are the source of dengue illness, you should take precautions to keep mosquitoes away from kids. Repellents have worked well in the past. After one application, these repellents may protect your youngster for ten hours. Applying lemon eucalyptus oil may be used as another kind of home cure.
Maintain cleanliness in the home: Check for water build-up and keep your home tidy and clutter-free. Use disinfectants to prevent locations from becoming breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.
Additional safety at home: To provide an added layer of security, you can put screens on doors and windows or keep them closed.
Keep proper hygiene: Ensure your kid routinely washes their hands and feet before eating, when they get home from school, and after using the restroom. When teaching your kid to use the toilet, several personal hygiene manners must be taught.
Kids’ clothes: Every time your children leave home, insist they wear long sleeves and trousers. This is because mosquitoes will be less likely to bite if you wear long garments.
Conclusion
Children may have mild to moderate dengue signs, but if you wait too long to have them diagnosed, they can become severe and result in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS).
Therefore, a blood test is required to determine if your kid has the dengue virus. A thorough blood test determines the intensity of the dengue virus in kids. The doctor might start the therapy after asking about your baby’s signs and exposure to mosquitoes.
FAQs
Can Dengue Fever Be Treated at Home? Yes, if there are no symptoms and the person can drink liquids without a problem.
What Tests Will Be Done to Detect Dengue? To identify dengue, your physician will repeatedly request testing for platelets, haemoglobin, coagulation profile, liver enzymes, and specific tests.
Is Dengue Curable in Kids? Like other viral diseases, dengue has no particular therapy, only routine supportive care and fluids. This viral infection may be treated without the use of antibiotics.
What are the common symptoms of dengue in children? Children with dengue may experience high fever, headache, body aches, rashes, vomiting, and drowsiness. Some may also have nose or gum bleeding.
How soon do symptoms appear in children after a mosquito bite? Symptoms generally appear 4-10 days after an infected Aedes mosquito bites a child.
How is dengue in children treated? While there’s no specific cure, rest, fluids, nutritious food, and medications like acetaminophen for pain can help manage symptoms. Hospitalisation may be required in severe cases.
What are the severe forms of dengue? Severe dengue can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS), which may require immediate medical attention.
How can parents prevent dengue in children?
Prevention includes using mosquito repellents, keeping the home clean, eliminating stagnant water, and having children wear long sleeves and pants.
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