One of the worst illnesses spread by mosquitoes during the monsoon season in India is dengue. It is brought on when a healthy individual is bitten by a mosquito carrying the dengue virus. More than 500 million people are plagued by mosquito-borne illnesses resulting in roughly 2.7 million fatalities yearly. The most harmful 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 quite anxious when a child contracts dengue since the illness might last for 10 to 14 days. In this post, you will get to know 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. To survive, these mosquitoes are often found in warm, humid regions, like stagnant water. 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.
Most of the time, these mosquitoes attack in the early morning and the 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.
How Can Dengue Affect Your 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. As a result, removing any standing water inside and outside of the home is advisable since these areas might serve as a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.
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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 drowsy
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, certain children may additionally go through the following:
Body patches
Nausea
Reduced appetite
Weakness
Incapacity to engage in physical activity
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 fasten 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 make an effort to keep him on a regular sleeping pattern and watch out for fatigue. His immune system will be strengthened, and a balanced diet and enough sleep will kill the virus.
If the joint and muscular pain becomes intolerable, it may upset your kid unnecessarily. Ask the pediatrician to prescribe acetaminophen or another analgesic as they do not lower blood platelet counts as ibuprofen do.
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 diarrhea, your kid may need to be hospitalized in that situation.
Additionally, the pediatrician 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 pediatrician 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 provide your youngster protection for ten hours. Applying lemon eucalyptus oil may be used as another kind of home cure.
Maintain cleanliness in the home: Make sure there isn’t any water build-up, and keep your home tidy and clutter-free. To prevent locations from becoming Aedes mosquito breeding grounds, use disinfectants.
Additional safety at home: You may put screens on doors and windows or keep them closed at home to provide an added layer of security.
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. Several personal hygiene manners must be taught when teaching your kid to use the toilet.
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, hemoglobin, coagulation profile, liver enzymes, and specific tests.
Is Dengue Curable in Kids?
There is no particular therapy for dengue, only routine supportive care, and fluids, like other viral diseases. This viral infection may be treated without the use of antibiotics.
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