Yesterday, 45 fresh cases of dengue were reported in Delhi, India. The number of dengue patients in the national capital shot up to 661. There are 11 cases in which the infection has been contracted from outside the city. The capital has seen two dengue deaths so far.
This indicates a lack of preventive measures by the civic agencies, and now peoples are challaned as mosquito breeding was detected on their premises!
= What is Dengue Fever?
Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by any one of four closely related dengue viruses (DENV-1, -2, -3, and -4). Infection with one serotype of DENV provides immunity to that serotype for life, but provides no long-term immunity to other serotypes. Thus, a person can be infected as many as four times, once with each serotype.
Dengue viruses are transmitted from person to person by Aedes mosquitoes (most often Aedes aegypti) in the domestic environment.
Epidemics have occurred periodically in the Western Hemisphere for more than 200 years. In the past 30 years, dengue transmission and the frequency of dengue epidemics have increased greatly in most tropical countries like India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.
= What are the symptoms of Dengue Fever?
Classic dengue fever, or “break bone fever,” is characterized by acute onset of high fever 3–14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.
Symptoms include
frontal headache,
retro-orbital pain,
myalgias,
arthralgias,
hemorrhagic manifestations,
rash, and
low white blood cell count
The patient also may complain of anorexia and nausea.
Acute symptoms, when present, usually last about 1 week, but weakness, malaise, and anorexia may persist for several weeks.
Some patients with dengue fever go on to develop dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a severe and sometimes fatal form of the disease.
= Diagnosis of Dengue Fever
The diagnosis of dengue is usually made clinically.
The classic picture is high fever with no localising source of infection, a petechial rash with thrombocytopenia and relative leukopenia – low platelet and white blood cell count.
= Laboratory Diagnosis of dengue infection
One can get DENGUE FEVER ANTIBODY, IgM & IgG. This is a costly test. From Dr Lal Path Lab, it is costing nearly Rs. 1200.
= Aim of treatment of dengue fever:
• Relieving symptoms of pain.
• Controlling fever.
• Telling patients to avoid aspirin and other nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medications because they may increase the risk for hemorrhage.
• Reminding patients to drink more fluids, especially when they have a high fever.
= How to Treat Dengue Fever
• Drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest.
• Antipyretics to control temperature. Children with dengue are at risk for febrile seizures during the febrile phase of illness.
• Avoid aspirin and other nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medications because they increase the risk of hemorrhage. People generally take Brufen or Combiflam tablets in such fever conditions, these are to be avoided.
• Get platelet counts.
= Prevention of Dengue Fever
- There is no tested and approved vaccine for the dengue.
- Primary prevention of dengue is mosquito control.
= Dengue fever and Homeopathy medicines
In Homoeopathy, we have more than 20 medicines which can be taken based on different symptoms of fever in different stages. I would suggest you to please consult your homeopathic physician or homeopathic consultant for appropriate selection of the homeopathic drug for dengue fever.
Just for reference, 16 homeopathic remedies for dengue fever are mentioned in Knerr’s Repertory :
Acon., ars., bell., Bry., chin., coloc., EUP-PER., ferr., ham., ip., merc., nux-v., podo., Rhus-t., sec., sul-ac.
Boericke has mentioned 12 remedies : acon., ars., bell., bry., canth., chin., eup-per., gels., ip., nux-v., rhus-t., rhus-v.
Similar groups of homeopathic medicines for treating Dengue Fever are mentioned in newly published works like Murphy’s Repertory, Roger Zandvoort’s Complete Repertory and Schroyen’s Synthesis Repertory.
Dengue fever – prevention, treatment and homeopathic medicines posted on November 11th, 2009.
Dear Sir
I enjoyed reading your article. Good work at the right time with the right information. Just wanted to add that a dengue patient can be handled at home and the platelets should be checked every day. If he is given a suitable homeopathic remedy the need for painkillers and antipyretics is reduced further. This comes from experience of treating a patient recently (he was the husband of a Allopathic physican) Managed very well at home – the platelets were about 1 lakh when the treatment was started and fell only as low as 85 thousand. Homeopathy cured gently and permanently.
Regards and Jai Homeopathy
Dr. Priya Kapoor
my daughter is leaving to work with the hill side tribes in nothernmost Thailand tomorrow. I will arm her with homeopathic remedies, but I need to be as specific as possible with her…can you assist me in what she should look to as her first homeopathic line of defense?
many thanks,
bonnie rotenberg
U have always come out with brilliant help when needed Dr. Singhal. I congratulate u.
I had a great time with DENGUE at my clinic.
My prescriptions were so monotonous, I felt that i am more materialistic. the responses were great.
Initial high fever and body pains to certain extent usually subsided with ACONITE 30 + PYREXIUM 30
Second stage of rashes usually responded great to RHUS TOX 30
Remaining body pains were dealt with EUPATORIUM 30 OR BRYONIA 30
Also I used OLIVE(Bach remedy) for remaining weakness
I got very few cases of thrombopenia, and they responded well to SULPHUR 30 OR THUJA 30
WHY DONO
Thankyou Dr Priya and Dr Tahir for your valuable comments.
Mr Bonnie Rotenberg, your daughter must consult the physician during any illness. You can use following guideline for some of homeopathic remedies used in dengue fever:
Aconite
Sudden onset of symptoms with anxious restlessness.
Headache worse by cold, dry wind.
–
Arsenicum album
Patients is chilly. Better by heat.
Restless and Exhausted. <12-3AM.
Anxiety and despair of recovery.
Thirst for sips often (warm drinks). > warm drinks.
–
Belladonna
Sudden onset of symptoms with hot, flushed, red face with cold extremities.
Headache – right side < Noise, light, etc.
–
Eupatorium perf
Fever with some periodicity.
Soreness – Bones painful, as if they would break. Pain in limbs and back.
Desire for ice water despite shaking chill.
–
Gelsemium
Fever with chill alternating with heat in back.
Dull, dizziness, drowsy look.
Eyes – heavy, weak.
Thirstless.
–
Dear Dr. Anil – Namaste
Your article regarding Dengue Fever is excellent and I always appreciate your great services to humanity and homoeopathy. I feel great pleasure to be in touch with you and your experience and knowledge in the field of homoeopathy is always helping me greatly. Thanks for remembering me through mails. God bless you.
Further, your all the articles on different subjects are highly appreciable.
Sincerely yours
Dr. Sayeed Ahmad
Thankyou Dr Sayeed for encouraging remark.
Just to update
Delhi reported 38 new dengue cases on thursday, taking the number of people affected by this vector borne disease to 710.
Dear Dr Anil,
Thank you very much for such a knowledge boosting article, and will be the great help to humankind to fight against Epidemics of Dengue.
DR KETAN PATEL
Dear Dr. Anil
I must congratulate you to bring out such an informative article on dengue at the right moment and I appreciate your efforts to inform people and being so technically sound which most homoeopaths of our time are lacking.
Homoeopathy such a wonderful science to combat the epidemics of dengue and swine flu but only thing required is awareness amongst masses and backing of thorough management system which most homoeopathic hospitals and clinics are lacking.
But hope is still there with peoples like yourself working for the upliftment of homoeopathic system.
Dr. Asha Chopra
Dr Anil Singhal,
Dengue fever article gives a Good picture of what it is , and what need to be done, (3rd aphorsim).
But what is that we are doing, can we say that a single dose of a SINGLE Homoeopathic medicine cannot control this state of Dengue fever, or a Single medicine is unable to control it.
Lets be bold enough to write what we do.
Dear Dr Singhal
You have been very generous to share your knowledge among the fraternity. There is no specific antibiotic for dengue and no vaccine as yet to protect against dengue fever. Complete rest and lot of cold fluid and electrolyte replacement intake is very important to increase the low platelet counts. Patient awareness is very important.
With regards
Dr. Anuradha
Thankyou Dr. Ketan Patel, Dr. Asha Chopra, Dr. SK Vashisht and Dr. Anuradha Garg for your encouraging remarks.
Delhi on Saturday recorded 34 new cases of dengue, taking the total number of cases due to the vector-borne disease dengue to 783, health officials said.
The national capital Delhi reported 32 new dengue cases on thursday, taking the total number of people infected with the vector-borne disease to 945.
The Capital has seen 300 cases of dengue in just the past eight days.
Respected Dr Singhal,
Thanks for your very enlightening mails.Sir Ihave been getting cases of Chickenguniya especially the debilitating prostration of all joints &muscles of the body after the acute fever stage is over.What would you recommend for such cases? I am giving them chininum ars, Eup perf, rhus tox depending on the totality.Is their any other specific for Chickenguniya?
thanks,
Regards,
Dr.Trikha
Respected Dr Singhal ji
Thanks for providing the oppurtunity to read this complete article on Dengue fever. For diagnosis, Antigen tests are available which can diagnose the disease within first 5 days. Afterwards, antibody tests become positive.
Regards
DR SAPNA
With the mercury dipping in Delhi, health authorities expect the cases of dengue to go down over the next few weeks even as the figure touched 1,041 with 13 more patients testing positive.
The cases of the vector-borne disease were negligible from June to September this year, but had surged drastically since mid-October. Officials said that this was due to the late arrival of monsoon in the city.