PUBLIC ADVISORY ON DENGUE

16th May is observed as the National Dengue Day across the country which provides an opportunity to emphasize on transmission prevention, create community awareness and sensitize the stakeholders/partners. This year the National Dengue Day is amidst the COVID-19 crisis and many of our activities like advocacy meetings, rallies, meetings or gatherings are not admissible due to the prevailing situation. The theme NDD-2020 is “Effective community engagement:- Key to Dengue Control”

 Dengue is a viral disease which spreads in the community by the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito. This is a self limiting disease.

Symptoms

 • Abrupt onset of high fever, severe bodyache (break bone fever).

• Severe frontal headache.

• Pain behind the eyes which worsens with eye movements.

• Muscle and joint pains.

• Loss of sense of taste and appetite.

• Measles-like rash over chest and upper limbs.

• Nausea and vomiting.

Treatment

 There is no specific treatment available as such, Therefore symptomatic treatment and case management is only way.

• Don’t panic as dengue is a self limiting disease.

• Patient should be given lots of fluid and a nutritious diet.

• The patient should be advised to take rest under mosquito net.

• In any fever in the Dengue season avoid taking Aspirin and Brufen tablets. Paracetamol tablets are recommended for fever and bodyache.

Testing:- Elisa based tests are confirmatory. Testing for Dengue is available at PGIMER, GMCH-32 and GMSH-16 and CH-Manimajra.

Do's

•    Keep all the water containers/overhead tanks etc. properly covered.

• Scrub dry all the desert coolers and containers in house, offices, factories, schools etc. once a week.

• Change water in bird feeding pots daily.

• Change water of money plant/indoor plant vases once a week.

• Clean and dry drain trays at the back of the refrigerator regularly.

• Cover the toilet seat in case if you go out of station for a week to 10 days.

•     Use mosquito repellants on exposed parts during daytime to prevent mosquito bites.

•  Wear full sleeved clothes and long dresses/trousers that cover arms and legs, especially during Dengue season to prevent mosquito bite.

• Use mesh doors/windows, mosquito coils, vapour mats etc. to keep mosquitoes away.

• Use bed nets even during day time especially for infants and small children.

•  Protect dengue patients from mosquito bites by any of above methods.

Don'ts

• Don't let water to collect in and around houses, offices, schools, factories etc.

• Don't let broken earthenware, bottles, pots, flower vase, tyres, tin cans, coconut shells etc. to collect outside or on roof tops.

• Don't leave water in desert cooler when not in use.

• Don't store water in uncovered containers/tanks.

• Don't store tyres outside in workshops, godowns etc.

• Don’t use plates under flower pots.

• Don't give aspirin/brufen to patients with dengue fever.

Observe every Saturday As ‘Dry day’

 Due to COVID-19 crisis and scare, the city residents are not allowing the breeding checkers of Malaria Wing of Health Department to enter their houses/premises for source reduction/mosquitogenic survey. This can lead to a spurt of Vector Borne Diseases. So the onus of prevention of mosquito breeding within the houses/premises lies with the residents themselves as of now.

“Active community participation is the key”

Let us all join hands to check the spread of Dengue in city beautiful.