Dengue small bite, big threat

Dengue fever is one of the most dreading mosquito-borne diseases currently

pervading Singapore. There is a striking statistic published by National
Environment Agency (NEA) showing that in July 2013 there are more than 13000
patients contracting dengue and that number keeps increasing very fast. This
means dengue is plaguing in Singapore and can infect anyone.

A painful experience
During the law exams at NUS in Singapore in 2009, Mr. Sean Swee Quant
suddenly became sick with high fever. The doctor prescribed him paracetamol
and painkiller for the fever and headache. After 3 days of exam, he would not
withstand anymore and had to go to the hospital.
At that moment I thought it was a flu, but the symptoms are from a more serious
and agonizing kind of flu said Mr. Sean. While the fever was not alleviated, he
had been suffering intermittent headaches. It was painful as if someone was
hammering my head said he. Rashes and ached developed all over his body.
Indeed, he lost 6 kg within only 4 days in hospital since he would not swallow
anything but some porridge.
Till now Mr. Sean could not recall where he got contracted dengue. You can get
bitten by mosquitoes anywhere, and thats kind of scary, he said. It was true
painful experience not only Mr. Sean but all the dengue patients were and are
getting through.

We are susceptible to a more painful complication!
Tan Tock Seng Hospital suggests that dengue is "usually self-limiting". That
means our bodies can fight against dengue without treatment. In the case of Mr.
Sean, he also recovered within a week though his physical and mental health
had been exhausted. However, many of us do not know that dengue has a
complication that our bodies cannot self-limit called Hemorrhagic Dengue
Fever (HDF). Early symptoms of HDF is very similar to normal dengue fever but
in several days after being exposed to the virus, patients becomes restless,
sweaty following by a dengue shock syndrome. Our bodies are not capable of
dealing with such a powerful shock which quickly lead to death. The HDF is the
main cause of all the dengue death cases in Singapore (NEA, 2013).
So is there any cure?
The answer is NO. At this moment, there is no treatment or vaccination for
dengue. The best way to prevent from dengue is to stop the breeding of its
carrier, the Aedes mosquitoes.

Aedes mosquito is the primary denguetransmitter
Most of us know mosquitoes can
transfer dengue virus from person to
person. However, not all of them are the
killers which lead to dengue fever. Only
infected female Aedes mosquitoes can
bite a person and cause dengue fever.
This kind of mosquitoes are in black and
white stripes and extremely fast
breeding.


How to stop Aedes mosquitoes from breeding?
There are several tips that we can learn to find and remove the mosquito-
breeding places
Tip #1: Change the water in your water storage containers such as water pots
or flower vases regularly. Cover the containers when not use.
Tip #2: Turn over water buckets or pails so as not to collect excess water.
Tip #3: Use mosquito repellents regularly. Apply it well on all exposed areas,
during the day as well as at night.
Tip #4: Make sure your window and door screens do not have any holes. If
so, block those areas properly to eliminate mosquitoes.
Tip #5: If you use a cooler remember to empty out and clean the water tray
regularly, even when not in use.
Tip #6: Always cover your trash can when not in use.
Tip #7: Using camphor as a repellent also works wonders. Light camphor in a
room and close all the doors and windows.

Dengue is completely preventable! All we have to do is practice a few steps
regularly to keep yourself and your family safe!