Dengue fever – prevention, treatment and homeopathic medicines

dengue fever

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.