Monsoon maladies: Here's how to prevent dengue, malaria and chikungunya

Since dengue, malaria and chikungunya are caused by mosquito bites, it is imperative that you take precautions to prevent mosquito bites

Some things never change – there is a disastrous predictability about them. The annual visit of Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria is one such occurrence. 

The months from August to October are to be navigated cautiously. Since all three are caused by mosquito bites, it is imperative that you take precautions to prevent mosquito bites. Once bitten, like in any other disaster, there is no choice but to go through it. 

All three begin with high fever. The main difference between dengue and chikungunya lies in some of their signs and symptoms. Dengue is associated with low platelet count, high bleeding risk, and pain behind the eyes, along with severe headache, body ache and rash. Chikungunya does not exhibit these symptoms. There are joint pains in both dengue and chikungunya, but in the latter it is more intense and pronounced inflammation. Malaria is best known for paroxysm, the cycle of chills/shivering, and then fever/sweating. This cycle usually occurs every two days. 

However, once you bitten by a mosquito and contract one of these, the initial symptoms are similar; only a blood test can determine which fever affects you – dengue, malaria or chikungunya. Immediate and accurate diagnosis for malaria is done by the blood film, for dengue and chikungunya it is NS1 and ELISA. 

“All tests related to dengue, whether NS1 or IgM, have a price restriction of Rest 600, and it is applicable to all labs. All variants of dengue virus are detectable by the test available, but virus mutation does occur every year,” says Dr Rajeev Nayyar, medical director, Fortis Memorial Research Institute. 

The good news is that 95-98 per cent of dengue patients do not develop complications; two per cent can get the dengue shock syndrome – fluid from blood entering the tissue which could cause multiple organ failures. The only thing that can be done is to manage the symptoms. “You have to watch out for complications after the fever abates. If platelet count plunges, the patient needs immediate transfusion. Any bleeding after the fever has broken needs to be addressed immediately. Bleeding of gums, in nose or in stool indicates a complication,” says Dr Tarun Sahni, senior consultant, Indraprastha Apollo. 

Doctors advise wearing long-sleeved shirts and using mosquito repellent. The most important is not letting water gather. Mosquitoes breed in clear stagnant water. They could breed in hydroponic plants at home, and even commode water! Of course, cooler water is the most suspect. Dr Vijay Arora, director, internal medicine, Max Patparganj, advises taking rest, having plenty of fruit and vegetables, staying hydrated, and avoid analgesics and painkillers.Of course, if the fever does not break with paracetamol in two days, a doctor needs to be consulted. Asprin is to be avoided.  

Malaria, too, is caused by mosquito bite, but now it seems to be getting severe. However, there are anti-malarial medicines that are effective and can be given once the tests confirm the diagnosis. There could be complications with cerebral malaria or brain fever, but these are a rare occurrence, though if a patient is affected,  It may also lead to multi-organ failures. 

In extremely rare cases, you could have both malaria and dengue caused by the bite of the same mosquito.