Dengue Fever

[stevewool]

Can any members explain to me what Dengue fever is,

Emma had a call from a family member , there son has this and is in hospital and they are wanting funds from her,

Now dont get me wrong here, if its what it is we are there to help , but i have no idea at all,

All i am getting from Ems is the child is sickly and as asthma too so its worst for him,

The problem i am having is the father has just had over 2 months back in the Phils and has just flown back to his work and so there is mo money coming in for what ever they may need,

I may be wrong here but i cannot help thinking this,

If its so bad why are  not the other members of both families helping, i dont mind helping if we all help,

So can someone explain what could go wrong

[Medic Mike]

Can any members explain to me what Dengue fever is,

Emma had a call from a family member , there son has this and is in hospital and they are wanting funds from her,

Now dont get me wrong here, if its what it is we are there to help , but i have no idea at all,

All i am getting from Ems is the child is sickly and as asthma too so its worst for him,

The problem i am having is the father has just had over 2 months back in the Phils and has just flown back to his work and so there is mo money coming in for what ever they may need,

I may be wrong here but i cannot help thinking this,

If its so bad why are  not the other members of both families helping, i dont mind helping if we all help,

So can someone explain what could go wrong

Basically Dengue is a nasty debilitating viral disease , transmitted by mosquitoes, and causing sudden fever and acute pains in the joints. Unfortunately, because of of the nature of viruses there is no cure or really any specific treatment (most of the time, treatment is limited to analgesia as needed and treating symptomatically). Seems every country in the tropics has their own approach in dealing with it. Obviously, prevention is the best course of action.

 

I can't speak for other areas of Philippines, but the Cebu region has had over 800 cases reported this year so far, hence the specific line for Dengue at most tertiarty hospitals. Cebu is pretty good on education for the locals, seems they always have some educational program on-going with the locals all the time.

 

I for one am always using the tropical strength OFF when I am in Cebu and the provinces.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Medic Mike

[chris49]

In a government hospital the observation period for suspected Dengue is about 4-5 days. Patient is given IV fluids and some simple meds for fever like paracetomol.  The main danger is seizures and blood clotting deficiencies caused by a low platelet count. In extreme cases, but not frequently some blood products like FFP, Fresh Frozen Plasma, might be needed to reverse the blood clotting problem. If not given, the patient might die. FFP is not available in government hospitals.

 

Indigent poor Filipinos who can't afford the higher level of treatment do die of Dengue.

 

Some patients with high fever end up not to have Dengue, since there's no definitive testing except for daily blood counts. Government hospitals are busy, they don't admit people unless there's a strong possibility of Dengue (cause: bitten by an infected mosquito)

 

You didn't ask us what we would do in this situation, but I will tell you anyway. This is no time for a long debate, so I send them a one time assistance of around 10k pesos or less. That is over the amount they would need, but it gets you off the hook in case something happens.

[Medic Mike]

On a side note, we also have Japanese encephalitis which is also carried by misquitos, however the good thing is it rare, the bad thing it is more nasty then Dengue. However, some good news for kano patients, most medical professionals believe if you have had your MMR when you were young, you should be immune to this virus...however you never know. If I worked around pigs and other livestock in the tropics, I still would double down on the OFF. :thumbsup:

[Medic Mike]

In a government hospital the observation period for suspected Dengue is about 4-5 days. Patient is given IV fluids and some simple meds for fever like paracetomol.  The main danger is seizures and blood clotting deficiencies caused by a low platelet count. In extreme cases, but not frequently some blood products like FFP, Fresh Frozen Plasma, might be needed to reverse the blood clotting problem. If not given, the patient might die. FFP is not available in government hospitals.

 

Indigent poor Filipinos who can't afford the higher level of treatment do die of Dengue.

 

Some patients with high fever end up not to have Dengue, since there's no definitive testing except for daily blood counts. Government hospitals are busy, they don't admit people unless there's a strong possibility of Dengue (cause: bitten by an infected mosquito)

 

You didn't ask us what we would do in this situation, but I will tell you anyway. This is no time for a long debate, so I send them a one time assistance of around 10k pesos or less. That is over the amount they would need, but it gets you off the hook in case something happens.

"Patient is given IV fluids and some simple meds for fever like paracetomol.  The main danger is seizures and blood clotting deficiencies caused by a low platelet count. In extreme cases, but not frequently some blood products like FFP, Fresh Frozen Plasma, might be needed to reverse the blood clotting problem. If not given, the patient might die. FFP is not available in government hospitals."

 

Good point, I also forgot never give aspirin to a person with suspected Dengue. Also good plan of attack for treating systomatically is alternating paracetamol with ibuprofen. Ibruprofen is a little bit better for analgesia, where paracetamol is great in reducing fever. However, both being NSAIDS...make sure your loved one has plenty of food in their stomach when taking these drugs.

[Thomas]

Can any members explain to me what Dengue fever is,

Emma had a call from a family member , there son has this and is in hospital and they are wanting funds from her,

Now dont get me wrong here, if its what it is we are there to help , but i have no idea at all,

All i am getting from Ems is the child is sickly and as asthma too so its worst for him,

The problem i am having is the father has just had over 2 months back in the Phils and has just flown back to his work and so there is mo money coming in for what ever they may need,

I may be wrong here but i cannot help thinking this,

If its so bad why are  not the other members of both families helping, i dont mind helping if we all help,

So can someone explain what could go wrong

Don't they have PhilHealth?  

If I have understood corect, Dengue is among the illnesses PhilHealth cover much of.

transmitted by mosquitoes

Concerning prevention:

In Thailand I did learn TIGER mosquitos spread Dengue. They are some different from other mosquitos, who don't like sunlight, while Tiger mosquitos don't bother, so prevention assisted by sunlight don't function.

[frozenmystic28]

This?

 

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/10731/philhealth-covers-members-dependents-with-dengue

[RBM]

I had this Steve some years ago. As other have posted not a lot can be done, rehydration rest and keep under observation. I spent about 5 days in hospital having dextrose and basically rest. Really knocks one around, feel like sh....

Understand the danger is much higher with kids.

[stevewool]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies.looks like a talk to the family again. Funny how these things happen this time of the year.and for the last 3 years too

[Jake]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies.looks like a talk to the family again. Funny how these things happen this time of the year.and for the last 3 years too

You mean around Christmas time?