There may be hope for dengue cure after all. Unfortunately, we all still have to wait a few more years � well, until 2012. That�s how long until the vaccine Tetravalent, manufactured by drug company Sanofi will be ready to be submitted for approval.

According to reports of the drug trial conducted in the United States, the vaccine was found to be 100% effective against all four serotypes of the virus that are responsible for the deadly dengue fever. Sanofi plans also to do clinical trials of said vaccine in Asia and Latin America. Now isn�t this good news?

Source: News Medical

Dengue is usually associated with poorer tropical countries. The disease leads to a sudden onset of fever with severe headaches, muscle and joint pains, as well as rashes. According to the AFP, the mosquito viral called Dengue fever has instantly become a significant public viral outbreak in Thailand, where a recent epidemic resulted in 63,000 cases and 91 deaths nationwide. Health education is crucial to the minimization of the disease. To make sure that people understand the cause of infection and the ways to prevent people from catching the virus is the best step to combat Dengue. Health education for dengue control should be provided in primary schools and community health centers as suggested by the National Dengue Control Program.

 

There is no detailed or specific action for dengue fever, but close medical awareness and clinical management revives the lives of many patients. At the present time, the only technique of controlling dengue and DHF is to battle the vector mosquito all the way through chemical control and environmental management. Community-based cleaning operations remove tyres, bottles, cans and other objects that catch and keep hold of water, get free of possible breeding sites for vector mosquitoes. Larval surroundings are too treated with insecticide. Insecticidal space sprays, by means of vehicle-mounted or moveable machines, are used in many programmes for urgent situations and to  control the growth of adult mosquitoes.

The mosquito scourge is dependent on certain environmental conditions to survive and our meddling with nature as in the case of once arid lands, turning them into lush farmland may be responsible for spreading the disease. Mosquitoes thrive in tropical environments and with many tropical areas already infected, taming other places that used to be too harsh for them, where rainwater is so precious we try to collect each and every drop turning them into havens for the virus carrying mosquito. (more…)

Dengue infections have spread all over the world and in most cases, modern hospital management and care manages to get the patient back to normal health. The few who die from the disease are a unique bunch who develop a sort of shock-syndrome to the virus, with their bodies reacting so violently they present symptoms the alternate name of dengue is known, hemorrhagic fever that can result in death. (more…)

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever(DHF) is actually an old virus that is considered to be one of the most deadliest the world over due to their ability to jump species. Spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, that is differentiated by it’s daytime feeding habits, it has silently killed millions the world over. The incubation period is short accompanied by severe fever that usually lasts three days, after which, without proper monitoring and care death is sure to occur. Mostly restricted to areas that are in the tropics zone due to the inability of its host to survive in cold weather. Outbreaks have been well documented and a cure is still out of sight. The disease is however being tackled from different angles, one of them targets the disease at its source, the mosquito which can be infected with a virus that halves its lifespan thus lessening its ability to spread it by half. The danger came when man invented mass travel wherein people and machines could transport the disease carrying mosquitoes all over the globe.

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The worst kind of dengue is the shock syndrome, where your whole circulatory system just shuts down though it’s rare. Symptoms of dengue can vary but are often associated with a fever, headaches, joint pain and a rash. For most people it is not fatal. There is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue fever. Once contracted, doctor’s advice is to take fluids and rest. The pathogenesis of dengue shock syndrome remains unclear. It is suggested that antibody-dependent enhancement is involved in these more serious conditions when infected the second time around with a different serotype of the virus. After an initial period of protection, antibodies from the primary infection can cross-react with other dengue virus serotypes but have waned to non-neutralizing levels leading to increased virus replication and immune activation including massive cytokine release also known as a cytokine storm.

Image Source: bbc.co.uk

Symptoms of dengue fever appear suddenly after a period of incubation that lasts about five to eight days. It includes fever, chills, headache, eye pain, red eye, enlarge lymph nodes, a red flush to the face, lower back pain, extreme weakness and severe aches in the legs and joints.
The initial signs of illness last about two to three days. After this, the fever fluctuates and a rash appears in the arms, legs, and spreading to the chest and abdomen. The soles of the feet and the palms of the hands are swollen and turn red. The combination these characteristics of having fever, rash and headache are called the dengue triad. Although weakness and fatigue may last several weeks, most people recover fully from it. Once infected, the immune system keeps producing cells that prevent it from re-infection for about a year.

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The rate of deaths associated with dengue fever is now becoming less. But this does not mean that we should not put concern on it. Many of my friends had dengue and according to them, it is not easy. We should keep in mind that dengue fever is fatal and it must be prevented.
As what people who are associated with the health department say, we must prevent it. And this is prevented by particularly, keeping our homes clean—inside and outside.
Aedes Aegypti, the kind of mosquito that carries the disease, lays their eggs in stagnant water which is found in our homes. Change the water in flower vases every other day to prevent the mosquitoes from laying their egg there. And keep the water containers covered,.
For yourself, see to it that you apply mosquito repellant lotion. Several are available in the market with variations of scents.
Bear in mind that prevention is better than cure.

There is slight information in available reports concerning the penalties of dengue illness for pregnant women. No persuasive confirmation representing an association between dengue contamination during pregnancy and hereditary malformations has been accounted. Nevertheless, if the mother is unwell with dengue at the moment of delivery, the child can be inborn with dengue disease or can obtain dengue throughout the delivery practice itself, and then increase the demonstration of dengue fever or DHF. Passive transplacental transmit of maternal anti-dengue antibodies get hold of from a prior maternal virus can also put infants at larger risk of DHF with their initial dengue infection, but these maternal antibodies are unoccupied by 9-12 months of age.