Protect Your Child from Dengue

Children and youngsters are forever a readily available target for mosquitoes including those which carry dengue and malaria sources. They play in fields, or any other open area, where it is really very hard to protect them from mosquito bites. 

And moreover dengue carries vector aedes aegypti mosquitoes are famous to bite at either early morning or late afternoon, and both are typical playtime for those young. 

In this article we will explore the issues with dengue particularly as it has already become almost a pandemic in some cities and districts. The government and other health organizations are working hard to keep the situation in control, still there are enough reasons to worry.  

The protection for dengue can be done at multiple levels, and we will try to explore as much as we can. Many may think that we can protect our children from the disease by just protecting them from mosquito bites. Well it is not wrong because if there is no mosquito to bite then there would have been no dengue. 

But there is much more to that. Have you noticed that not everyone gets the disease though being exposed to the same mosquitoes. The ratio of infection can be 3% or 5% or sometimes it can be as high as 10% or more. But one thing we need to notice is that still the percentage is minority. 

There are many reasons for why some people get the disease and others do not. Some of the reasons are related to exposure to mosquitoes. Like some can be more exposed and others. Like some children may have more outdoors than others. 

Some houses also can be more mosquito infested than other houses. That depends on the location, cleanliness, drainage conditions and many other factors. Some homes may follow better mosquito deterrent protocols than others. 

And above all these there is another reason that can become highly crucial and deterministic for getting or not getting the disease despite all the conditions being supportive. And that is the human immune system. 

We can see many children playing together on the same field, at the same time, getting almost the same dose of mosquito bites, still some can be getting the disease actually whereas others are getting saved. 

If the home is mosquito infested, still usually all the members seldom get infected. Usually perhaps only 2 or 3 get the disease and others are spared by margin. All these and more are determined by the immune power of the exposed person or child. 

Hence protection against any disease including dengue involves our immune system to a very large extent. So in our discussion on protection against the disease it has to include the maintaining and modifying our immune system so as to make it more efficient to protect us from dengue. 

Then another level of protection is after getting the disease. Anyone of us can get dengue anytime, we can never predict. But then what to do? There are a lot of things to be done when one gets the Dengue Fever (DF) so that the disease does not advance to more complicated and fatally dangerous levels like the Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever {DHF) or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). 

Though it is not impossible to treat an advanced stage dengue patient, still it can become extremely hard to manage and contain the disease at a non-fatal limit or stage. And equally costly too due to the requirement of more medicines, therapies, and specialist doctors and so on. So every dengue should be stopped by its first stage. 

So this is also a level of protection from dengue, once anyone gets it already. This protection is very crucial as well as critical, still necessary. There are certain basic guidelines issued by different government agencies. And our part will be to learn and implement those guidelines as much as possible. Let me at first discuss the protection where at the beginning there may not be any symptom or even fever.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

This is one most important point to follow for any disease and not excluding dengue or other mosquito borne diseases. Almost all mosquito borne diseases are a major health hazard for children globally. So the most important step in this direction will be control of mosquito infestation and saving the child from bites. 

Governments and organizations all around the world are taking endeavors and initiatives to control and eradicate mosquitoes. But without the concerns and consciousness from everyone it is not possible to control mosquito vectors and related diseases. 

Everyone and every home has to make their own arrangements according to their respective situations and their needs. There are places which are less infested and there are places where it is very intense. Not all places will have the same intensity of mosquitoes.

Also the factors affecting the intensity of mosquitoes also are quite different from place to place. Somewhere it can be like open sewage or at other places there can be a lack of hygienic surroundings. We need to keep concern on a few basic things to make sure that the mosquito problems are kept away.

Below are the few points which we need to take care – 

1. There should be no place which can log water. Mosquitoes reproduce and grow in water. Drains and sewage lines are to be covered. 
2. Garbages are places where all types of insects get their resources including food, etc. Often there are some water contaminants in the garbage, which can promote mosquito growth. Garbages and wastes must be properly stored and covered before getting emptied.
3. Windows are best to be fitted with mosquito nets. Otherwise it may become necessary to get a bed mosquito net, specially where the infestation is high.
4. Sometimes chemical protection like mosquito repellant liquids and incense are to be used, if necessary.
5. Childrens are most vulnerable when out of the home. They go to play, to tutorials and to schools. These are the times they are totally unguarded and susceptible to mosquito bites. There are mosquito repellent creams and sprays for the clothes as well as the skin. The skin mode ones are more effective than cloth modes, but some childrens may be allergic to the skin types. So the cloth mode ones are more safe dermatologically.
6. Herbal disinfectants like Neem and Lemongrass work well against mosquitoes but in a healtheir way for humans. It will always be advisable to use these comparatively less or non-harmful natural chemical agents. 

These were some of the most essential steps to be taken to protect our home and children from the dangerous infestations of mosquitoes. If we can save ourselves from mosquito bites then naturally the possibilities of associated diseases will go down. 

These were about prevention. There is more about prevention. This I discussed is about external prevention by control of mosquitoes and prevention from bites. But there are the most frequent practical cases in our life where we cannot really protect ourselves from mosquito bites. So what to do or on what to resort on then? We will try to find out the wayouts a little later in this blog……keep reading. 

First we take the worst case on. If we cannot protect ourselves and get dengue, then what to do? This is the most important phase, where mistakes and errors are not only less advised but actually to be warned against. 

After Getting the Infection

Often we fall sick and we do not know the exact reasons. Dealing such sickness may be random and erratic. But the case of dengue has to be taken differently. If not then it can become fatally dangerous. Not only can it eat away a lot of money and other resources but it often claims life also. Many already die out of this.  Hospitalization can go to lakhs of money. So there remains no scope of any negligence. 

We need to watch out for places where there is a dengue breakout. If for some reason we happen to get exposed to such a place, or if we are living within such a place, then we really need to be careful enough. Any symptoms like fever and headache or nausea can indicate dengue. 

Dengue has many stages, grossly we can take that as three. The first stage is known as Dengue Fever. The fever can become quite high. And usually dengue fever is without a running nose or cough. So a high fever with no cough can become a warning indicator for a non-flu viral infection which can be dengue. 

High fever with headache and nausea are very alarming conditions for a suspected dengue patient. As fever can rise quite high, it can be dangerous for anyone including small children. We need to check the fever immediately. A simple dose of paracetamol can do the job well. It can be of some benefit for the headache also. 

Dengue and many other viral infections affect the corpuscle counts of the blood. Platelets are the most vulnerable among all. Lots of liquids like water, coconut water, WHO recommended Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS), etc become essential to maintain the basic platelet level of the blood. 

If the platelet level of the blood can be maintained in dengue then usually it does not get a chance to enter into the successive stages from the first one. Otherwise the condition of the patient can deteriorate at a very fast pace. 

These two basic things that have to be done or can be done initially for a suspected dengue patient. Lots of fluid and paracetamol. But the patient would need immediate medical treatment from a doctor. It is not advisable to do any delay in that regard whatsoever be the reason. 

Whenever a child or anyone gets a high fever and suspected viral or other infection, proper medical help becomes immediately essential. Consult your house physician or any local doctor immediately to get the condition properly treated. 

Prevent Dengue Internally

This is true not only for dengue but for most of the diseases that happen to us. We are internally endowed by Nature to protect ourselves from all kinds of infections. But knowingly or unknowingly, that power may get compromised and then only we actually catch any infection. 

The same case happens for dengue as well. Not that only the mosquito is responsible or the dengue virus is responsible. They are obviously responsible but they have another very important partner with them. That is our weakened or compromised immune system. 

We usually have a strong immune system to fight any kind of infections and diseases. Nature gave us that power right from the beginning. Have you ever wondered that there is no hospital, no doctor and no medical drugs out there in the jungle? But how many species live there in the whole world? So what is the secret? Do all the animals have no diseases and infections or they have got protection? 

Nature sends us all with a level of protection. But humans lose that protection faster and deeper than the other counterpart life forms on this planet. Why so? Because all other animals and life forms obey the natural principles and theories in their daily life much more than we humans. Naturally we pay the price of our own deviations from Nature. We pay millions in medical bills and most of our lifelong earnings are ultimately taken away by medical expenses. 

But now it is time to realize a few things about Nature and human relation with it. Already we somehow survived the pandemic but at a very high cost of economics, education and all other human endeavors. It was a time for us to learn a few things. And if we can learn then not only we will feel more protected in any future instance of another pandemic, but also from our day to day suffering from different big or small ailments. And dengue is also not an exception. 

There is plenty of information and documents all around the internet and the libraries as well on diets, and natural wellbeing and living. So I am not going to do that in this article. There are some previous blogs of mine about general fooding and living practices ideal for the students and teachers. There will be more in future. So let me discuss something specific for the dengue. 

It is true that when one will follow good and Nature recommended living styles and standards, then their overall body and mind performances will increase and get optimized. And that benefit will be equally available when our body will fight against the dengue infection. 

I do not have the scope to discuss the total living standards over here in a blog, but I can try to discuss a few points that can be especially useful to prevent diseases like dengue fever. 

One of the important things is food and water. It is not that we do not eat or drink fluids. We usually spend more than necessary on food and drinks. But unfortunately mostly on the wrong foods and drinks. But if we can eat the right kind of foods most of the time then that will help to protect us from diseases to a considerable extent. 

Less processed food and more natural grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits can help us remain healthy. Too much of spices, salt and sugar are also not good. Any extreme taste has to be avoided. Only moderate to low taste factors in our daily food are healthy. 

The most important factor of a food is its nutritional value. We eat mainly for nutrition and nutrition keeps our body fit and healthy. 

In ancient times the issues and measurements of nutrition were not so prevalent or essential provided one used to take combinational food menus from natural sources. But today the situation is getting different because of extensive use of artificial food producing methods, agents and processes. Fertilizers and pesticides, genetically modified seeds and preservation issues are not always very positive towards the nutritional value of the food. 

Moreover we are often exposed to a lot of pollution as well as adulteration in our food which can make us internally weak and sick. Still we need to eat as much natural and healthy food as we can.

When we are already aware that our food may lack the required essential nutrition, then we have something to do about it if we really want to stay fit and healthy. We need to cover up the nutritional deficiencies by some alternate methods. 

Among nutrition, micro nutrients like vitamins and dietary minerals are the most missing elements. We can try to cover the deficiencies by some good multivitamin multimineral supplement. Before taking such a supplement, make sure that it is a daily RDA version and not a therapeutic version. Your pharmacist or house physician can help you with this. 

Water is one of the most important things that maintains our overall health. Many of us have a chronic habit to underestimate the importance of water and almost ignore it until and unless they are quite thirsty. But ideally water should be taken before being thirsty. Thirsty is a state where our body has already moved into mild dehydration. This should not happen every now and then. 

Also most of us do not intake enough water that we should per day. An adult has to take at least 4 liters of water in summer. But most of us take it way too low. Water has many functions, including the maintenance of blood and detoxification of it. Our blood is one of the main weapons which helps us fight all disease and external agents that attack our body. But scarcity of water in our body can deprive our blood and associated systems to function properly. 

This is the same reason why a dengue patient is advised to intake more and more water and fluids. Even when hospitalization happens then also the most vital treatment of dengue and other similar viral infections are continuous administration of intravenous saline water. 

Many of us have a habit of drinking anything when thirsty, including carbonated soft drinks and caffeinated energy drinks. This is the most wrong thing we do to our body. All these drinks actually dehydrate our internal system even more and not only that also often toxifies the system by different artificial agents like flavors and colors. If we deal with our biology like this then don’t you think that we are welcoming diseases and health issues ourselves?

If we can keep good care of our food, drinks and sleep, then we can stay away from many diseases and unnecessary medical expenses and harassment to a large extent. And this applies equally for all viral infections like dengue. Even if the mosquito will bite and even if some virus finds ways to enter our body, our own immune system will be strong enough to kill them without any help of external medicines. Even in most cases we will not even know that or feel that. We will just feel that the disease never happened to us.