Dengue is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by the dengue virus, which is mainly found in the tropical regions. This is transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. Dengue fever is caused by one of four different but related viruses. There are four distinct serotypes of the dengue virus (DEN 1, DEN 2, DEN 3 and DEN 4). Dengue is not contagious and does not spread from person to person by physical contact. Dengue fever can occur to people of all ages. Children usually have a milder disease than adults.
Dengue fever has many forms, some as under:
- Classic dengue fever
- Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)
- Dengue shock syndrome (DSS)
Symptoms Classic Dengue Fever
The symptoms usually develop within 4-7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms of classic dengue include:
- Sudden, high fever
- Severe headaches
- Pain behind the eyes
- Severe joint and muscle pain
- Fatigue and exhaustion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Skin rash
- Low blood pressure
Thereafter, the patient recovers to carry off without residual damage. Outputs of such a deadly infection are rare. When blood tests are taken, in classical dengue fever, there are really no unusual findings, only the platelet.
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is a severe form of dengue fever which can result in death and is characterized by:
- Severe bleeding from the nose, gums, or under the skin causing purplish bruises
Dengue Shock Syndrome
Dengue Shock Syndrome is the most severe form which usually occurs in children having a re-infection and is sometimes fatal. It often presents with:
- Massive bleeding
- Shock (very low blood pressure)
Complications Involved with Dengue
Some of the complications caused due to the disease are:
- Severe dehydration
- Continuous bleeding
- Low platelets, due to which clotting of blood doesn’t occur
- Blood pressure may go dangerously low
- Enlargement of liver and damage to it
- Bradycardia (heart beating less than 60 counts per minute)
- Damage to brain due to bleeding, seizures or encephalitis
- Damage to the immune system
Diagnosis and Treatment
Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test. There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever, and most people recover within 2 weeks. There is currently no vaccine for dengue. There are actually no known antiviral drugs or injections available for the cure of dengue. However, the disease can be treated with plenty of supportive care and treatment that would eventually help save the patient’s life. Patient will need fluids if there are signs of dehydration and should avoid taking aspirin and ibuprofen.
In the case of more severe forms of dengue, such as dengue hemorrhagic disease or dengue shock syndrome, it's a must for the patient to be admitted to a hospital and given proper care. The mortality rate of a dengue patient without hospitalization increases about 50 percent. The only way to prevent dengue virus transmission is to combat the disease-carrying mosquitoes.
However, due to the lack of a formalized cure, many herbal and home remedies have been developed. People are turning to some natural remedies to control the dreaded disease. In case you are infected by the dengue virus, follow some of these natural home remedies below for a quick recovery and an alleviation of your symptoms.
20 Home Remedies To Treat Dengue Fever
1. Apple juice, Lemon juice
- People who have dengue fever should drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Apart from drinking plenty of water, take fresh fruit juices.
- Squeeze half Lemon in a glass of fresh apple juice and drink after every 2 hours. This gives rise to more number of blood cells, which improve the count of the blood platelets.
2. Lemon water
- Dengue results in dehydration and decline in platelet count. In order for the patient to survive he needs to keep his body hydrated and his platelet count stable.
- Squeeze one Lemon in a glass of filtered water and drink after every 2 hours a day. Lemon water can easily be absorbed by the body which quickly helps restore the platelet count.
3. Honey, Lukewarm water
- Patients should drink plenty of fluids, as dehydration is prevalent among those affected with Dengue.
- Mix one tablespoon of organic honey in a cup of lukewarm water and drinks 4 times a day. Once in the morning on an empty stomach and once in the evening. Also drink an hour before lunch and dinner.
4. White soda, Lemon juice, Filtered water
- Drink as much water as possible to keep the body hydrated and to replace the fluid loss. Make a bulk batch with 4 glasses of White soda, 4 glasses of filtered water and fresh juice of 4 lemons.
- Keep it in a pitcher and drink ½ glass after every an hour. This help to increase the platelet count and also improves the immune system of the body.
5. Coconut Water
- Patients with fever and moreover in the tropics have significantly more drinking than usual, as the thirst requires.
- Consuming Coconut Water is very beneficial in dengue treatment and it provides immediate relief from dehydration. This will help wash the toxins away from the body in the form of urine.
6. European barberry/ Indian Barberry
- Consuming European barberry/ Indian Barberry (Zereshk) fruit or juice and taking its syrup is highly beneficial during Dengue fever.
7. Quince Muraba, Gooseberry Muraba
- Eating Quince (Bhi) or Gooseberry (amla) muraba on empty stomach will be quite beneficial during Dengue fever.
- Eat 3 to 4 gooseberries on an empty stomach every morning.The vitamin C in amla can help increase the production of platelets and boost your immune system.
8. Fresh Juices
- Drinking fresh juices of Pears, Pomegranate, Grapefruit, Orange and Gooseberry are highly effective in dengue fever. Black grapes and Papaya juices increase platelet count.
- Orange and its juice known for its folate, is also said to improve platelet count. This is also filled with vitamins and energy, will help in digestion as well as promote antibodies for a speedy recovery.
- Many people believe that the exotic kiwi fruit helps increase platelet count in the body during Dengue fever.
9. Beetroot juice, Carrot juice
- If you are facing the complication of lower levels of blood platelet, beetroot and carrot can provide a wonderful solution. Being high in natural antioxidant and hemostatic properties, beetroot can raise your platelet count within a few days.
- Add 3 tablespoons of beetroot juice in a glass of carrot juice and take it 2-3 times a day. Or Drink 1 tablespoon of fresh beetroot juice 3 times daily. It will boost platelet count in 3-4 days.
10. Papaya Leaves Juice and Tea
- Take 2 tbs of freshly extracted juice of Papaya leaves thrice a day for 10 days regularly. Taking tea of papaya leaves twice a day can also boost the Platelet count in the blood.
- Papaya leaves are rich in complex vitamins and are known to contain high amounts of A, C, E, K, and B vitamins. It is also known to increase the white blood cells and helps in the production of platelets when taken in the form of juice. A normal platelet count in a healthy individual is between 150,000 and 450,000 per μl (microlitre) of blood. A patient taking papaya leaves juice regularly has shown speedy recovery.
11. Royal Jelly/Propolis
- Take one capsule of Royal Jelly/ Propolis 500 mg on an empty stomach.
- Royal Jelly has Antioxidant power, Anti inflammation and Antibacterial properties. Royal jelly helps the body produce more immune cells, fight bacteria and heal its wounds faster. It mostly does this with a unique blend of proteins that are unique to royal jelly.
- The most well known immune boosting protein in royal jelly is called royalisin. The presence of royalisin, in addition to a complex of proteins called Major Royal Jelly Proteins (MJRPs) is what gives bees their ability to fight illness, allergy, and kill bacteria within nature.
12. Goat Milk
- Drinking Goat’s milk is highly beneficial during Dengue. Goat milk increases the blood platelet count significantly. The patient needs 2 litre of milk and after cured needs 1 litre of milk.
- Dengue is an effective mosquito-borne disease related to mosquito, which constitutes the etiological agents of the disease. So, for treating this disease goat milk and milk products are mostly preferred. Selenium is the main component of goat milk. Deficiency of Selenium and decrease in platelet count are the main complications of dengue fever.
- Goat milk as well as milk products are richest source of Selenium as comparison to cow and sheep milk. This somewhat rare mineral is a key component in immune system functionality, making us better able to protect ourselves from illness and fend off infections. Goat milk also found to help with the digestive and metabolic utilization of various minerals.
13. Water
- Drink a sufficient amount of filtered, purified water to keep your body hydrated and your blood platelet count within a normal range. A well-hydrated body is less likely to get sick.
- In addition, blood cells comprise water and protein, hence drinking plenty of water prevents a low platelet count, a common symptom of dengue.
- This will also bring down the body temperature while easing symptom like headache and muscle cramps, both of which are exacerbated by dehydration.
14. Wheatgrass juice
- Wheatgrass can be beneficial in increasing platelet count. Wheatgrass has high content of chlorophyll and a molecular structure similar to that of hemoglobin which helps in increasing the count of red blood cells, white blood cells and the platelets.
- Drink a cup of fresh wheat grass juice in order to increase the low platelet count. Or mix I teaspoon in a glass of filtered, purified plain water or in any fresh juice and drink thrice a day.
15. Pumpkin juice, Honey
- Pumpkin is a rich source of Vitamin A which regulates the production of proteins that regulate platelet generation in the body. Pumpkin juice can help you improve the platelet count in your body.
- Take half glass of pumpkin juice and mix 1 tablespoon of honey to simply improve the taste and make it edible. Consume 2-3 times a day. Make fresh juice every time you wish to consume this juice to get quick results.
16. Basil Leaves, Black Peppers
- Consume a drink made by boiling a few 10 Basil (Tulsi) leaves and adding about 2 Black pepper corns to it.
- Drink 4 times day 200 ml water. This drink helps in building your immunity and acts as an antibacterial element.
17. Black peppers, Nigella seeds, Chirata
- Make a fine powder each of 10 gm Black peppers, Nigella seeds and Chirata /Indian Gentian and store in a glass container.
- Take 1 gm thrice a day along with mint and carom seeds decoction. This natural remedy is highly effective for treating Dengue fever.
18. Spiral Flag root, Garden Cress, Myrrh, Thyme
- Make a fine powder of 70 gm Marine Costus / Spiral Flag root (Qust Shireen/Qust ul Bheri/Kiste-e-Shirin) 15 gm Garden Cress (Habb-ul-Rashaad , Haloon) 5 gm Myrrh (Mur Makki) 5 gm Thyme (Sattar farsi) and store in a glass jar.
- Take ½ tsp twice a day. It is the most effective and natural way to control Dengue fever without any side effects.
19. Purified Gypsum, Wild mustard
- Mix powders of Gypsum Purified (Hartal Godanti) 125 mg and Wild mustard/London rocket (Khaksi / Khub Kalan) 500 mg and take along with syrup of European barberry/ Indian Barberry (Zerershk) 4 times a day.
- This is a highly beneficial and trial prescription for Dengue fever
20. Wild mustard/London rocket Decoction
- Drinking ½ cup of Wild mustard/London rocket (Khaksi / Khub Kalan) decoction is highly beneficial in dealing with Dengue fever.
21. Heart Leaved Moon Seed, Papaya Leaves
- Heart Leaved Moon Seed (Giloy/ Gurch) helps in maintaining the metabolic rate, strengthening the immune system and protects your body against infections.
- It has anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-pyretic, blood purifying, diuretic and detoxifying characteristics. It is used as a health tonic to boost the immunity power of the individuals. It acts as an adaptogen and helps in increasing the count of the blood platelets in the body to a huge extent.
- Mix 1 tbs Heart Leaved Moon Seed juice and 1 tbs crushed papaya leaves juice to consume. Or boil the stems of Giloy and serve it as an herbal drink. You can also add few Basil leaves in the drink
22. Gruel of Rice and Green gram
- Gruel (Khichri) of Rice and Green gram/ Golden gram (Moong dal) should be given to the patient daily as lunch or dinner until patient recover. Patient can have this easily digested, high protein Gruel (Khichri).
12 Useful Tips to Prevent Dengue Fever
The best way to prevent dengue fever is by taking precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes are stated as follows:
- The female mosquito feeds on blood as it requires the blood protein to produce eggs, hence it is better to use mosquito repellents to any exposed skin and your clothes, even when indoors
- You could turn to natural repellents like Lemon Eucalyptus Oil, Lavender, Neem Oil and Cinnamon Oil to protect yourself against mosquito bites
- It is better to avoid stagnant water in flowerpots, buckets, barrels etc., in and around the house, as these are the favorite places for mosquitoes to lay eggs. Water should be stored in closed containers
- Bleaching powder may be used in water sources that are not meant for drinking, as it prevents the development of mosquito eggs
- There are a number of plants that have mosquito repellent properties like Horsemint, Feverfew, Catnip, Marigolds, Ageratum Coumarin, Citronella plant and lavender. Place them around your house to keep mosquitoes away. Even herbs like garlic, lemongrass, basil, peppermint, rosemary may help.
- It is advised to reside in a well screened or air conditioned house. If not, mosquito nets may be attached to the windows
- If possible, keep exposed skin to a minimum and ensure that wherever you sleep is fully enclosed, including tears in any mosquito netting that you may put in place to protect yourself.
- Dressing in protective clothing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes is advised when outdoors
- Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colored clothing hence it is better to wear bright and light colored clothes
- Avoid strong perfumes, as mosquitoes are drawn towards strong body odours
- It is healthier to avoid being outdoors during dawn, dusk or early evenings when mosquitoes tend to roam around in the open
- The dengue mosquito typically attacks during the day and some experts say the favourite spots are below the elbow and below the knee. They are generally active between the time period of August-October and do not breed when the temperature falls.
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