Dengue is a disease which is increasing day by day. Actually, it's an infectious viral disease transmitted through a vector like a mosquito. Its vector mosquito is specific as it is only transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito because female mosquito needs blood proteins to lay its eggs.
ORIGIN:
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection in human beings. In a few years' time, it has become the most rapidly spreading international public health problem, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. More than 50 million peoples are in contact with this disease each year. This disease had also been known as '' Break-Bone Fever ''
CLASSIFICATION:
It has 4 types :
-UNDIFFERENTIATED FEVER (Mild)
-DENGUE FEVER (Clear symptoms of high fever, severe pain in joints, headache and rashes on the skin.
-DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER (Involves high fever with spontaneous bleeding from capillaries )
-DENGUE SHOCK SYNDROME (More serious symptoms of high fever and shock, very low blood pressure, weak pulse etc)
HISTORY:
The first reported epidemics of dengue fever occurred in 1779-80 in Asia, Africa, and North America almost simultaneously. In Pakistan, cases of DF were first reported in 1994 from KARACHI. In 2011, situation has become alarming in LAHORE.
SYMPTOMS:
Among the people infected with dengue virus about 80% have only mild symptoms of uncomplicated fever. The common symptoms usually appear within 4-7 days after the infection. These may include high fever, chill, rash, severe headache, especially behind the eyes. Other symptoms are dizziness, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea etc.
MORPHOLOGY:
A mosquito consists of an antenna, thorax, probosci, abdomen and most important, the body of ADES mosquito is fully prominent with white spots on all over its body.
TRANSMISSION OF DENGUE VIRUS:
Dengue virus is only transmitted by the bite of infected female AEDES mosquito. During day time, these mosquitoes are thought to be aggressive biters with feeding peaks of two hours before and after dawn and dusk. This virus can also be transmitted further through blood products and through organ transplant of theinfected person. The life cycle of the dengue virus involves mosquito as a vecto5r and humans as a host.
HABITAT OF DENGUE MOSQUITO:
ADES prefer to live near human habitat as they need pure water for their breeding. Opened water containers, standing water in the lawn, flower beds, vases, flower pots are the sites of their reproduction in their breeding season.
PRIMARY & SECONDARY ATTACK:
Primary infection can induce life long protective immunity to the infecting serotype whereas secondary infection by some other serotype is severe than primary infections.
PREVENTION:
The vaccine against dengue virus is yet to be discovered so the only choice left to be safe from this disease is prevention by cleaning & drying of swimming pools during their breeding seasons, regularly changing of water from the vases, flower pots, draining the water from room cooler as well as air conditioners etc. We should also cover all the man holes, water tanks on roof etc in order to get rid of such insects.
TREATMENT:
