Dengue Fever Outbreaks During the Rainy Season: A Warning from CMU Doctors

Understanding Dengue Fever and its Prevention

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thavitiya Sujaritrak, Lecturer at the Department of Infectious Diseases⁤ Department of ​Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine ⁢Chiang Mai University, revealed that dengue fever is caused by⁣ the dengue virus, which has ⁢four strains and cannot be transmitted directly from person to person. The mosquito that carries‌ dengue fever is the Aedes mosquito, and people who are bitten by mosquitoes will not have immediate symptoms, but will rely on an incubation period of about 7-10 days.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

The disease period of dengue fever is divided into three stages. The first stage is the stage when the patient starts to have a fever of over 39 degrees Celsius or more,⁢ accompanied by other symptoms ‌such as headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain in the epigastric region, and abnormal and easy bleeding. The second stage is the critical stage, which‌ is life-threatening, but not all ⁤patients will have this stage. The critical period is when the ‍fever begins⁤ to decrease,‍ and there is⁣ an important pathological condition of the⁣ disease: the walls of the capillaries lose⁤ their stability,‍ causing the plasma or fluid that should​ be in the blood vessels to leak out, leading to a drop in the patient’s blood pressure and shock. The​ third stage is the recovery period, where the patient will be able to overcome the critical period with proper treatment.

Treatment and Prevention of Dengue Fever

Currently,‌ dengue fever has no specific treatment or ‌antiviral drugs, ​and the overall⁣ treatment will​ be supportive treatment based on symptoms. Avoid giving nonsteroidal drugs, such​ as aspirin ‌and ibuprofen, because they can cause abnormal platelet function. There are three main approaches to ⁣the prevention of dengue​ fever: preventing mosquito⁤ bites, eliminating mosquito breeding sites, and vaccinating against dengue fever. There ⁣are two types of vaccines ‍available ​in Thailand, and both‍ are ⁣live attenuated vaccines that cannot be administered to⁣ people who⁤ are immunocompromised or taking immunosuppressive drugs, including pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Prevention Measures

A ⁤good ⁢prevention ⁤of dengue fever is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and⁢ not allowing mosquitoes to breed. This can be ‍done by‌ completely eliminating breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, using Abate⁢ sand to destroy mosquito larvae, wearing long-sleeved​ shirts and long pants, applying‌ medicines or sprays ⁤to prevent mosquitoes, and not waiting for‌ serious symptoms to appear before consulting a doctor.