DO AWAY WITH DENGUE {FEVER} (PERSPECTIVE)

Sri Lankan Children Holding Anti-Dengue Signs (PHOTO: The New Nation)

By Joy DiBenedetto

Several years ago, the winter after Hurricanes’ Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast I spent a week on vacation in the Mayan Riviera at Playa Del Carmen. It’s a beautiful spot I had been to before and I’d returned to enjoy it with friends and loved ones.  

A frequent world traveler, whose work in news and the humanitarian world have taken me into dangerous, rough zones globally – I normally would have prepared for a trip by getting the relevant disease shots or requisite malaria pills.  But this was paradise next door right? What would I have to be concerned about?

Plenty as it turned out.

Even all of that pre trip prevention wouldn’t have stopped what happened three days into my travel, when I woke up feeling sicker than ever before, immediately knowing that some kind of visitor had invaded my body.  

That’s because, although I have always been a magnet for mosquitoes at sunset, a day before I had come in from a day of fun covered in tiny little bites all over my legs - lots of them, and they really didn’t itch too much, it was more of a rash. I knew almost instantly that I had contracted Dengue fever. 

Dengue [DEN-ghee] is a flu-like viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes by the Aedes aegypti which feed exclusively during daylight hours - unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria.  Also known as breakbone fever, it can be extremely painful and don’t let the fever fool you – I was freezing when I woke up. 

The disease manifests as a sudden onset fever with headache, muscle and joint pain, retro-orbital pain (I called it brain pain), a rash  of distinct bright red spots  and stomach pain with nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms which all can be misdiagnosed as flu.

But Dengue fever hasn’t been common in the Northern hemisphere for some time and generally it occurs in most tropical areas of the world such as Asia, Africa, the Pacific, South America, Australia, the Americas and the Caribbean basin.

There are two kinds of the disease: Dengue fever (bad) and Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) (worse).  Luckily I had the first kind. But both strains are caused by any of the dengue family of viruses and infection with one does not protect a person against another later.  Indeed people who were previously infected with one or more types of Dengue are thought to be at greater risk for developing DHF if infected again. 

The first case of dengue fever has been noted in a Chinese medical encyclopedia from the Jim Dynasty (265–420 AD) which referred to a “water poison” associated with flying insects and the first confirmed case was noted in 1789 by Benjamin Rush who coined the term "breakbone fever".  Slaves in the West Indies who contracted dengue were said to have "Dandy Fever". 

Population movements during World War II spread the disease globally after a pandemic of Dengue began in Southeast Asia and has spread around the globe ever since.   Indeed Dengue fever was one of dozen-plus viral agents that the United States researched as potential biological weapons in the 1970’s.

Today, increased worries about Dengue fever are heating up again.  Everyone who is bitten by an infected mosquito can get it and all types of Dengue are re-emerging globally and causing larger and more frequent outbreaks.

With developments such as climate change, population growth, massive movement of peoples to cities, the increase in non-biodegradable plastic packaging creating new breeding sites for mosquitoes and increased jet air travel - cases are spreading.

In the past five or so years significant outbreaks of Dengue fever have occurred in Singapore, India, Pakistan, Bolivia, Argentina, Australia, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean among many other places – afflicting millions and killing thousands. Today, the CDC warns US residents that a serious threat exists along the Texas-Mexico border; China, Russia have concerns and the first cases of dengue have recently been reported on the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.  We are seeing this play out in real time now with cases around the world by the thousands this summer, catching health officials off guard and showing up where it hasn’t been seen in many years. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries.

I should have seen it coming though, even in paradise.

Dengue fever is just as prevalent in urban centers as in rural areas and the only prevention is in avoiding mosquito bites and staying away from areas where mosquitoes breed such as old tires with water, flower pots, old oil drums, and water storage containers close to human dwellings.

Unlike Malaria there is no vaccine or pill to take. The World Health Organization (WHO) now predicts some 2.5 billion people, two fifths of the world's population, are now at risk from dengue and there may be 50 million cases of dengue infection worldwide every year.

Dengue is diagnosed by a blood test and there is no specific treatment other than rest and to drink plenty of fluids - which is not something you even feel like doing (especially in the early stages).  The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month or more.  

In my case, it was almost two months of recuperation during which I lost 25 pounds due to a real lack of appetite; and truthfully, I’ve lived with smaller episodes of symptoms ever since.  Headaches and small relapses of fever periodically make themselves known in my body, taking me out of commission without warning.  Indeed my infectious disease doctor told me she thought I also had contracted a case of California encephalitis, along with my Dengue (which also happens in tandem sometimes along with Dengue).

But with all of that, I was the lucky one, and contracting Dengue Fever changed my life for the better.

I am now able to understand what victims in less than comfortable surroundings must deal with when suffering from Dengue and I cannot live with the knowledge of this, without trying to warn everyone around the world of how to avoid this insidious mosquitoe borne disease. 

At HUMNEWS, we began an initiative several months ago called `DO AWAY WITH DENGUE {FEVER}’ - a global campaign working for Dengue Fever risk awareness so that others can avoid the “breakbone pain” (and, it really was).  Please follow our information efforts to keep you and your family safe too. 

    --- The author is the founder of HUM: Human Unlimited Media (parent company of HUMNEWS) and a Dengue fever survivor.

How to avoid Dengue fever? 

Avoid mosquito bites when traveling in tropical areas, and use mosquito repellents on skin and clothing.  When outdoors during times that mosquitoes are biting, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks. Avoid heavily populated residential areas. When indoors, stay in air-conditioned or screened areas. Use bednets if sleeping areas are not screened or air-conditioned.  If you have symptoms of dengue, report your travel history to your doctor immediately.

In your home:  Eliminate mosquito breeding sites in areas where dengue might occur. Discard items that can collect rain or run-off water, especially old tires, and regularly change the water in outdoor bird baths and pet and animal water containers. 

HOW TO NATURALLY KEEP MOSQUITOES AWAY:

By Marjolein Brugman, Founder of LighterLiving.com  (reprinted)

It is summer and a time to think about the unnecessary exposure to insecticides, pesticides and other dangerous toxins. Personally I take precautions to prevent contact for me and my family. Having grown up in Australia my mother taught me how to combat those pesky mosquitoes and flies which only an Aussie can vouch for as being the largest, fattest and nastiest in the world! I combine a few different insect-repelling natural oils. I typically make a large batch in March which lasts me throughout the summer and into the fall.

For a spray I use an inexpensive alcohol called Everclear or Vodka! And for the skin rub I use Sweet Almond Oil mixed with 100% pure Aloe Vera Gel, as an alternative carrier. My favorite oils are Cinnamon Oil (for mosquitoes), Eucalyptus Oil and Geranium Oil (for mosquitoes, ticks and lice), Citronella (for mosquitoes and biting flies), Orange Oil (for fleas).

To make your pesticides mix 1 part essential oil with 10-20 parts carrier oil or alcohol. Keep in a dark colored bottle away from sun and heat and apply every couple of hours.

For a smaller batch use 25 drops of essential oils with 2 tablespoons of carrier oil or alcohol. Be careful to keep your rub or spray away from your eyes and mouth.

(@HUMNEWS WE ARE COMMITTED TO DENGUE FEVER AWARENESS FOR THE LONG TERM. YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR INITIATIVE, `DO AWAY WITH DENGUE'  HERE, AND ON TWITTER {DOAWAYWDENGUE} AND ON FACEBOOK {DENGUE FEVER})