Dengue Fever (Whats Your Experience )

[Okieboy]

We have had 6 children come down with the fever in the last month, the health department send personel to fog the area yesterday, all of the children were put in hospital, my brother laws son was really bad he had a 50% chance to survive, and lucky he made it and is home now. 40% of the cases involve children 10 and under, i guess it is hard to fight off the fever at that age, my wife and her sisters use the tawa tawa it is wild here by the house, they use it in all case of fever,i was amazed at the cases of fever here but usually only last a few days, so it is hard to determen if it is dungue or just a virus, the wet weather here has a lot to do with the dungue also more water standing, we try and keep trees and grass trimmed and standing water gone, i use off and try and keep windows closed i have screens ordered, we also use a thing i call a swatter it is like a tinnis racket but has an electrical charge you go around the house hitting every were, you would be surprised how many you kill, i had a older friend come down with the dungue and he just drank a lot of fluids and the tawa tawa and it was gone in a few days, so i will use it for sure if i come down with a fever.

[United Army]

I have been here in the Philippines for almost 3 years now, and have had way to many Mosquito bites, so far no Dengue Fever. I spray allot around plants that my wife has outside, I think I have been lucky so far. But there are 6 or 7 different types of Dengue Fever so you could get it 6 or 7 times.....if you see standing water outside, just put some bleach in it and that should help.

[Mike S]

Another trick is to place a drop or two of oil (like olive oil) on top of the water and it will spread and cover the whole area .... the mossy lava must come to the surface to breath through their snorkels and the oil prevents them from doing that so they in fact drowned ..... or so I'm told ...... :cheersty:

Edited September 13, 2012 by Mike S

[Julia]

I live on a mosquito farm (other wise called a rain forest) .. and I've lived with the little critters for 40 years. Here are some thoughts:

(1) For indoor control, buy Mosquito Coils

there are hundreds of brands .. just make sure it contains d/l-alltthrolone d-trans chrysanthemate. They are very effective at repelling mosquitos. I keep my doors and windows open to enjoy my beautiful surroundings. If I'm at my desk, I keep a coil burning near-by. After 40 years it's become a way of life.

(2) Mosquitos have a range of about 100 yards from their birth place. They can be born in as little as a spoonful of water. As much as possible keep the area around your house clear of anything that can collect water .. tall grass is one of the worse offenders, so are fallen leaves.

(3) Know your mosquito. Only a few mosquitos can carry the disease -- the Tiger is the most common culprit. They are primarily active during early morning and early night.

(4) There is no cure. "Folk medicines" in this case are just a rip off . Seek medical attention with any sudden onset of high fever (say over 102F -- but I'm not a doctor) The disease will run it's course in a week or so. The danger is in the fever, and that is what you treat. Keep the fever down with Tylenol and drink gallons of liquids to avoid dehydration.

(5) Keep it all in perspective. It's seldom fatal in healthy adults (1% mortality rate? I'm not sure). It can be dangerous to children and the weak (old or malnourished). In 2010 there were 1.7 mil cases recorded with 2400 deaths. Flu, by comparison, kills from 250k-500k per year.

(6) DEET .. up to you. It repels mosquitos but it it wears off quickly .. esp if you sweat a lot.

:cheersty:

(5)

(4)

Well said, Beachboy! very helpful tips for sure...

P.S. I don't know why but I find it easier to catch flies than the Filipino mosquitoes using my bare hands....

[Geoff Thomas]

Well having just had Dengue for the second time Woohoo!! only two more types available to get me so I guess I am 50% immune, I can give you my experience.

First time I had it ( 2 years ago ) I thought I had gotten the flu, and realized that I had been a wimp for years thinking I had had flu before, but I was wrong! Having suffered on my own for three days with a thumping head ache and a body that had completely shut down all joints aching etc my wife came back from a manila trip to find me looking like death warmed up. Instantly she said I should go for a check up to which I protested as I hate Doctors and the long waits. Eventually I went to LH Prime and had the blood test which came back of course positive for Dengue with a very low white blood cell count, by the time my white cell count was at the norm for people to have blood transfusions I then gave in to my wife's second proposal

Local remedies for Dengue!!! Very skeptical but willing to try anything at this point except have a blood from another source, I agreed to try a few concoctions

Sweet Potato leaf tea

young papaya leaf juice extract

both of which taste disgusting until mixed with apple juice which is also a must have along with gallons of water. Within a day or two the symptoms had reversed my blood count was on the up and I had kept my own blood.

So two weeks ago when sitting in my office all of a sudden my head started pounding behind the eyes and all my joints started aching like hell I realized straight away what it was but again did not bother with the check up for a few days just started throwing water, apple juice, papaya leaf juice and sweet potato leaf tea down my neck as often s I could, took the blood test which again confirmed Dengue but which again a few days later the head aches disappeared the fever lasted for three days but then the rash this time seemed a lot worse than the first time and itchy as hell.

So I would recommend the drinks laid out above Oh yes and I almost forgot Paracetamol every 4 hours also if needed. But be careful about taking other meds as this could worsten the situation depending on the strain of Dengue fever you have.

Hope this helps !

[tiger31]

You should still go to the hospital if you suspect Dengue - dehydration from vomiting as well as from the other end is one of the main causes of death.

well i,ve had conflicting advice on this because there is,nt much the hospital can do apart from rehydrate you and keep a watch over you the hospitals tend to try and keep you in because more $$$$$$ where as you can be looked after at home taking plenty of fluids and ride it out .

[Call me bubba]

well i,ve had conflicting advice on this because there is,nt much the hospital can do apart from rehydrate you and keep a watch over you the hospitals tend to try and keep you in because more $$$$$$

perhaps you dont have philhealth?(and yes you can enroll& you can avail of it)

philhealth NOW covers DENGUE Fever and the related issues to it

at a cost of 200php month=2400yearly.

i tried to find the "exact"case info. listed below is what I found

Case Rates

Since September 1, 2011, the following medical cases and surgical procedures are being paid through case rate:

Medical Cases

1. Dengue I (Dengue fever, DHF grades I&II) 8,000 2. Dengue II (DHF grades III & IV) 16,000

http://www.philhealt...g/coverage.html

http://www.philippin...-much-they-pay/

payment question and answer from philhealth faq

22. Situation 1: If a member's total hospital fees for dengue I is beyond the case rate amount listed by PhilHealth, will the member shoulder the balance?

Yes. The member shall shoulder the amount in excess of what we will provide under the new case rate packages except for those covered under the NBB policy in government accredited facilities.

9. What is "No Balance Billing (NBB) and to whom it will be applicable?

NBB means that no other fees shall be charged or paid for by the PhilHealth patients beyond the identified case rates. NBB policy generally covers the Sponsored member/dependents of PhilHealth

Edited September 14, 2012 by Call me Bubba

[Geoff Thomas]

You should still go to the hospital if you suspect Dengue - dehydration from vomiting as well as from the other end is one of the main causes of death.

well i,ve had conflicting advice on this because there is,nt much the hospital can do apart from rehydrate you and keep a watch over you the hospitals tend to try and keep you in because more $$$$$$ where as you can be looked after at home taking plenty of fluids and ride it out .

Well pretty much Ride it out is what I did, I would for sure not ride it out if I had the heamoratic version coughing up blood and internal bleeding etc maybe thats next year for me but as long as its head aches and fever I would rather sit in the comfort of my own home and not some hospital bed some where!

[i am bob]

Ok, let me rephrase that....

If you are power vomiting and have really bad :714_full_of_crap: , you probably will need to be rehydrated at a hospital! That's hard to do if any fluids you take are not staying in your body.

[Steve & Myrlita]

I was dehydrated back in June & Aug. What saved me from getting an IV was a few big bottles of Gatorade. They help you replenish those electrolytes & potassium that you lost. The trick is to catch it before you get to the point of no return. Praise God I got lucky and caught it in time. Believe me, being stuck in a Filipino hospital sucks. No warm water for showers (Very cold) and no western food unless your asawa gets it for you which peso wise adds up very big and very fast. Trust me I know.

Edited September 15, 2012 by Steve & Myrlita