What you need to know: Dengue Decoded

Humain Diagnostics
Sep 3, 2018 · 2 min read

Ever wondered why people fall ill during monsoon? Stagnant water, dirty roads and unhygienic food could cause conditions ranging from diarrhoea to malaria and typhoid.

Dengue, a common yet infamous infection, is a household name that gets mothers sick with worry. Papaya juice, citronella oil and mosquito repellents continue to enjoy popularity as home remedies, as the dreaded symptoms of high fever, painful limbs and severe headaches rock those affected.

However, what makes dengue scary is:

  1. The lack of specific medications that can combat dengue
  2. The few ineffective ways to prevent being bitten by a mosquito
  3. There are no vaccines against the disease

Everyone blames the mosquito, don’t they?

Well, the actual culprit is a virus called the DENV — Dengue Fever Virus (Not a very fancy name eh?)

This virus resides in the gut of the female Aedes aegypti mosquito (Yep, it’s from Egypt) for a week. It then makes its way to the salivary glands of the mosquito. When the mosquito bites a human, it spews its saliva into the bloodstream. The virus in the saliva makes a beeline for the WBCs in the blood, enters the cells and begins to multiply. Eventually, the cells burst releasing viral particles, which infect more cells. An agonising cycle.

The Dengue Fever Virus remains undercover for the first 3–4 days, after which the symptoms begin to appear. The fever takes its toll for 2 whole weeks, ending with sickening fatigue and weakness. What’s even worse is that once you get dengue, you can get it again.

As the monsoon starts to settle in and extra expenses go into buying mosquito nets and repellent creams and sprays; do not fail to take the most effective step: getting yourself tested. The dengue test, also known as the NS1 antigen, is the common test to diagnose dengue. Even though the test can detect the virus only after the symptoms have set in, taking it early can certainly help you get the care you need.

Here’s where conventional medical wisdom holds true: If you have a fever for more than 3 days, you need to get tested. The NS1 antigen test for dengue from a well-equipped lab will ensure accurate results and effective care.

Humain Diagnostics

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