I'm not sure if there's another thread on this (pls move it if necessary.) We've seen a major increase in Dengue Fever in the South side of the island. Although I'm recovering from surgery (done Oct 31st kind of later-storm), I'm getting lots of pages and emergency calls on Dengue. I'm sure the official government stats will lag significantly. There have been a few confirmed (and more suspected) cases of Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever (the more rare and dangerous type) as well. Currently, there is no approved vaccine (although one is being tested), nor will antibiotics help (it is a viral infection spread by mosquitos--not person to person.)
For those who don't know: Dengue Fever is also known as Break Bone Fever (because you feel like your bones are broken); is characterized by high fever (39-40 c or 103-104 F) which usually is bimodal (spikes twice); terrible body aches; headache--particularly behind the eyes (orbital pain); dizziness/vertigo (due to dehydration & fever); extreme fatigue; possible rash; lack of appetite; and it usually lasts 10-14 days in otherwise healthy adults. Teenagers may recover in 7 days but infants, the elderly or otherwise infirmed persons may feel ill for over a month with lingering symptoms up to 6 months.
Dengue Fever in it's normal variety (there are 4 serotypes so you may get it more than once) is NOT dangerous IF dehydration is prevented, and fever is kept below convulsion level, it is not life threatening.
Practical Oral Rehdration Therapy for home or clinic:
The amount of rehydration that is needed depends on the size of the individual and the degree of dehydration. Rehydration is generally adequate when the person no longer feels thirsty and has a normal urine output. A rough guide to the amount of ORS solution needed in the first 4-6 hours of treatment for a mildly dehydrated person is:
1 liter pure water + 1/2 tsp salt + 8 tsp sugar (mix thoroughly and ideally add 1/2 cup orange juice or 1/2 mashed banana to increase potassium)
Quantities in 1st 4-6 hours of treatment (continued until fever comes down and person is eating normally):
Up to 5 kg (11 lb): 200 ? 400 ml
5-10 kg (11-22 lb): 400 ? 600 ml
10-15 kg (22-33 lb): 600 ? 800 ml
15-20 kg (33?44 lb): 800 ? 1000 ml
20-30 kg (44-66 lb: 1000 ? 1500 ml
30-40 kg (66-88 lb): 1500 ? 2000 ml
40 plus kg (88 lb): 2000-4000 ml
IF bottled water isn't available, water should be boiled for 12 min.
For fever management, for adults 800mg of ibuprofen (every 6-8 hours) is preferable to acetomenofen or paracetamol (neither of these two have strong anti-inflammatory action.)
* the above is for informational/self-education purposes and is not to be construed as medical advice; however, NOT being informed could have serious consequences and I believe in sharing information.
Note: The tests for Dengue often don't test positive right away and the type of test depends on how long someone has been ill. Therefore, there are many false negatives and misdiagnoses. In the DR, it is common for clinics to require you to come back 3-4 times. Other than obtaining a definitive diagnosis (to rule out something like Malaria and for statistical purposes), if you use the ORT, you don't need to be in a hospital where there are even more critters you might catch (IMHO).
For those who don't know: Dengue Fever is also known as Break Bone Fever (because you feel like your bones are broken); is characterized by high fever (39-40 c or 103-104 F) which usually is bimodal (spikes twice); terrible body aches; headache--particularly behind the eyes (orbital pain); dizziness/vertigo (due to dehydration & fever); extreme fatigue; possible rash; lack of appetite; and it usually lasts 10-14 days in otherwise healthy adults. Teenagers may recover in 7 days but infants, the elderly or otherwise infirmed persons may feel ill for over a month with lingering symptoms up to 6 months.
Dengue Fever in it's normal variety (there are 4 serotypes so you may get it more than once) is NOT dangerous IF dehydration is prevented, and fever is kept below convulsion level, it is not life threatening.
Practical Oral Rehdration Therapy for home or clinic:
The amount of rehydration that is needed depends on the size of the individual and the degree of dehydration. Rehydration is generally adequate when the person no longer feels thirsty and has a normal urine output. A rough guide to the amount of ORS solution needed in the first 4-6 hours of treatment for a mildly dehydrated person is:
1 liter pure water + 1/2 tsp salt + 8 tsp sugar (mix thoroughly and ideally add 1/2 cup orange juice or 1/2 mashed banana to increase potassium)
Quantities in 1st 4-6 hours of treatment (continued until fever comes down and person is eating normally):
Up to 5 kg (11 lb): 200 ? 400 ml
5-10 kg (11-22 lb): 400 ? 600 ml
10-15 kg (22-33 lb): 600 ? 800 ml
15-20 kg (33?44 lb): 800 ? 1000 ml
20-30 kg (44-66 lb: 1000 ? 1500 ml
30-40 kg (66-88 lb): 1500 ? 2000 ml
40 plus kg (88 lb): 2000-4000 ml
IF bottled water isn't available, water should be boiled for 12 min.
For fever management, for adults 800mg of ibuprofen (every 6-8 hours) is preferable to acetomenofen or paracetamol (neither of these two have strong anti-inflammatory action.)
* the above is for informational/self-education purposes and is not to be construed as medical advice; however, NOT being informed could have serious consequences and I believe in sharing information.
Note: The tests for Dengue often don't test positive right away and the type of test depends on how long someone has been ill. Therefore, there are many false negatives and misdiagnoses. In the DR, it is common for clinics to require you to come back 3-4 times. Other than obtaining a definitive diagnosis (to rule out something like Malaria and for statistical purposes), if you use the ORT, you don't need to be in a hospital where there are even more critters you might catch (IMHO).