In
Malaysia, dengue fever has become a main public concern when more than 12,000
Malaysian have been infected so far this year. Dengue infection is transmitted
by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Dengue is only spread
through the bite of infected mosquito. The dengue can cause serious
complication if it is not well controlled and treated. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
is a potentially dead infection spread mainly by Aedes aegypti. The sign
can be seen with the presence of collected blood under the skin in a very large
bruised area.
There
is no exact medication or antiviral treatment currently available for dengue
infection. However, Acetaminophen may be used to reduce the symptoms of fever.
Aspirin and non-steroidal drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen should be
avoided in order to let platelets be well functioning. Patients need to get
rest and get enough fluid like plain water, fresh juice or coconut water to
prevent dehydration. Oral rehydration salts (ORS) with the aim of remedying
dehydration can be part of home remedy.
No
specific food to cure dengue fever. However, there are many foods that help
boosting the immune system and reduce the symptoms of dengue. According to
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011, papaya leaves have the
ability against Dengue fever. Patients’ platelets, white blood cells and
neutrophils showed increasingly after papaya leaves were administered for twice
per day. There is one pilot study about the effect of mangrove crab soup on
improvement of clinical symptoms and platelet level in dengue patient had shown
positive effects to patients. However, more research is needed to prove the
effectiveness of crabs for dengue patients.
Avoid
fried food, spices and salty. Herbs can be used to enhance the flavor of the
food or use lime or lemon to maintain the taste of tongue. Tea made of
cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and other fever-reducing herbs are very helpful in
controlling body temperature and treat throat infection. Orange is one of the
citrus fruit that is full with vitamins that may help in digestion and promote
antibodies for sooner recovery. Or else, get fruit juice that contain high
amount of vitamin C like strawberries, kiwi, papaya, mango and guava to boost
the immune system and help in production of lymphocytes. In one research,
decreasing of glutathione and antioxidant status can be seen in patients with
dengue. Thus, raise the intake of antioxidant fruits and vegetables which can
make better antioxidant level in body.
Patients
need energy from food but they may eat less due to losing appetite. Porridge
can be the best food to be consumed because it is easy to swallow and provide
energy from carbohydrate. Vegetable-soup based helps patients to gain energy
and is very beneficial as many vitamins can be found in vegetables. Patients
with dengue may suffer with dehydration and electrolytes imbalance. However,
coconut water can help to maintain water and electrolytes balance in the body.
Adequate amount of protein is very important for tissue repair and production
of antibodies. Meat, fish, eggs and milk are the examples source of protein.
Here
are a few tips to help preventing the mosquitoes being attracted to us. Do
apply mosquito repellents or sleep under mosquito nets. Wear light color
clothes that cover the whole body instead of dark color because mosquitoes are
attracted more to dark. Do use mosquito coils or mosquito electronic repellent
to prevent mosquitoes from entering the space. The most important is to
eliminate the places where the mosquitoes can lay their eggs like containers
that hold water.
References:
Apollo
Medicine, Review Article (2005)
Applied
Nutrition Investigation (2004)
Asia
Pacific. ChannelNewsAsia. (2014)
Asian
Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2011, 2014)
Dengue
Hemorrhagic Fever. MedlinePlus. (2012)
Dengue
Homepage, CDC Home. (2012)
Management
of Dengue Infection in Adults, (2nd Edition), Ministry of Health
Malaysia
Transactions
of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2009)
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