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Battling Dengue

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The scare of the currently raging Dengue epidemic in Lucknow is neither a false alarm nor media hype. Good many people have fallen prey, and several have already died.
The tragedy is that Dengue is assume its most aggressive form in young healthy adults, who were, till yesterday, up and about their usual lives, attending to business, going to college, partying or planning a grand Diwali bash.
Attempts at mosquito control seem to have gone awary. Many might ask if it had started at all, seeing the heaps of polythene bags by the roads. The striped Aedes mosquitoes are easily seen in homes and offices on their dauntless flights landing on arms, necks and feet for their blood meals and injecting the virus through skin pricks.
High fever with body aches, visit to the doctor, the blood test confirming Dengue, falling platelet count, scurrying to hospitals for platelet transfusions, overcrowded hospitals is the usual circuit.
What can you do to protect your self and your family? Here are some practical suggestions:
1.     Involve your neighbours, make a local team, pool some money and arrange people to clear the heaps of polythene bags from the neighbourhood, burning them if necessary. Arrange a fogging machine and organize Malathion spray if possible. Get some kerosene poured on stagnant pools of water in the locality. Dont wait for the government municipality any more.
2.     Call the carpenter and make sure that your windows and doors are netted to prevent mosquitoes from enetering.
3.     Spray insecticides in and around the home daily
4.     Put away your half sleeved shirts, shorts, and T shirts. Start wearing full sleeves, trousers and socks from today. The Aedes mosquito has a short snout and cant sting through a layer of cloth.
5.     Request the principal to allow your child to wear full sleeves and trousers. Girls should wear pants or long skirts with leggings underneath.
6.     Use mosquito repellents on exposed parts of the body (back of hands, neck, and face) on most times.
7.     If fever occurs and stays for more than 2 days, get the blood tests done as advised by your doctor.
8.     Take only paracetamol for fever. Avoid ibuprofen, acetaminophen, nimesulide (banned in most countries) and othe painkillers. They increase the risk of bleeding and can damage organs. A 39 year old woman who was in otherwise good health, is now battling for life with renal and liver failure in our ICU, precipitated by nimesulide for Dengue.
9.     The main risks from Dengue are shock and bleeding. To prevent shock, drink lots of liquids and make sure you are passing good amounts of urine. If nausea and vomiting are cumbersome, IV fluids infused timely can help.
10.   If platelets fall below 20,000, you may require transfusions. Remember they dont grow on trees and are harvested from blood of donors. Hence there is a risk of transmission of other infections such as Hepatitis B or C and HIV. Procure platelets from reputed blood banks and arrange to have them donated by family members.
11.   Many suddenly take a down turn in the 48 hours after fever has subsided and we feel the worst is over. Take rest for an additional 2 days and drink lots of fluid till your condition is truely stable.
The greatest marvel of human nature is believed to be that seeing others die around him man refuses to believe that he too shall die. With Dengue raging in Lucknow, our complacence suggests that we feel quite that way!
As published in HT City (Hindustan Times) dated 24 october , 2010.
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