Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is down with dengue, which is why he won't be playing at the one-day international match in Sri Lanka. Active! tells you how to not fall prey to the disease
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is down with dengue, which is why he won't be playing at the one-day international match in Sri Lanka. Active! tells you how to not fall prey to the disease
The dengue virus is in the air, affecting mere mortals as well as cricket gods. Batsman Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of Monday's one-day international match against Sri Lanka since he was diagnosed with dengue on August 15.
The tropical virus is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes mosquito, with symptoms taking between three days to two weeks to appear.
|
| Cricketer Yuvraj Singh before he was struck by the dengue virus. |
Signs of dengue range from mild to incapacitating high fever, headaches, pain behind the eyes, back, muscle and joint pain (hence also referred to as breakbone fever) and rashes. In its more severe form dengue hemorrhagic fever the patient experiences fever accompanied by abdominal pain, vomiting and bleeding.
"The torrential rains have led to accumulation of stagnant water, amounting to higher incidences of dengue this season. Unlike other types of mosquitoes, dengue carriers bite only during the day," says Dr Shalini Suralkar, General Physician, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital.
In its initial stages, dengue is often confused for the flu due to similar symptoms, and hence, a blood test is needed to figure out the actual disease. "There are four strains of the dengue virus and once you are infected with a particular strain, you develop immunity to it. But you can still fall prey to the other three strains," adds Dr Suralkar.
To protect yourself from dengue, make sure you use mosquito repellents and prevent stagnant water from accumulating at one place to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. "Once you are afflicted with dengue, you have to let the disease run its course and treat the primary symptoms like fever, for instance.
Make sure the patient is well-hydrated. Also, red spots on the patient could be a sign of low platelet count. In such cases, a platelet transfusion may be necessary," advises Dr Suralkar. The recovery period may take from 10 to 14 days. However, there is only a 1% chance of complications developing in dengue cases.
Guidelines to prevent dengueThe National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has issued these simple guidelines to counter dengue:
To protect yourself, use mosquito nets, meshes and coils dipped in Pyrethrum (a low toxic insecticide). You can even fog the interiors of your house using Pyrethrum.
Sprinkle insect repellents in stagnant water to kill mosquito larvae.
Scrub and clean water tanks once a week. Ensure that it is kept covered.
Water should not be allowed to accumulate in dishes placed beneath flowerpots. Remove unused flower vases and containers.
