Health Watch

Extreme caution, a must to conquer dengue fever

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Recently the Health Ministry sources stated that the knowledge of the public on dengue fever is still not satisfactory. Persons who suffer from any type of fever for more than one or two days must seek medical treatment from a state hospital or from a qualified and experienced doctor. Although fever goes away after taking Paracetamol, one may get fever again in a few days with dengue shock syndrome.

The sources stated that persons with any type of fever should avoid aspirin, red and brown food and drinks. This is a must in order to diagnose the disease accurately. Red and brown foods make it difficult to diagnose and identify internal bleeding (vomit with blood). Seeking immediate medical treatment from a state hospital or from a qualified and experienced doctor is a must to prevent complications. But unfortunately still many persons go back to their normal lives and parents let their children play and study when fever has gone.

There are four dengue viruses. If a person gets affected by more than one virus at a time, his or her immunity system against dengue worsens. This is not so when it comes to some other diseases such as Chickenpox. Such infectious diseases create immunity in the human body against the same disease. But dengue fever does the opposite and destroys the immunity. Many patients do not show dengue fever symptoms such as high fever, head ache, under eye pain, pain in muscles and joints, vomiting, loss of appetite, pain in the stomach, red patches under skin (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever) and bleeding from nose or gums.

The symptoms of Dengue Shock Syndrome are pale body, cold hands and legs, palpitation and low pressure. The patient dies when the liver or heart fails, due to bleeding, convulsion. All patients with fever should avoid aspirin, take paracetamol, get plenty of rest (even after fever goes away) and avoid red/brown food and drinks. The patients need to avoid too much intake of water and other drinks. Seeking immediate medical treatment from a state hospital or a qualified and experienced doctor is the most important thing.

It is very important to be well aware of the symptoms of various stages of dengue fever. It is a must to understand the symptoms of dengue fever, Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF). Parents should learn about the symptoms because they have to monitor and take care of their children. The knowledge is very useful for all. This knowledge can save many precious lives. The knowledge can help to change people's attitude towards dengue fever.

The other important fact is to take all precautionary measures such as using mosquito nets, applying anti mosquito creams, and fogging. What is most important is to destroy all mosquito breeding sites. Even after gaining all the knowledge on dengue fever, still parents act in a very irresponsible manner when it comes to their children. The main reason for this situation is the rat race.

All parents expect their children to excel in everything they do especially in studies and in sports. As a result some parents never let their children to stay at home and rest for a few days after the fever goes down. They force them to attend and participate in all activities. This is very risky because dengue fever goes away in two or three days and returns as Dengue Shock Syndrome. If the dengue fever does return as DHF, then it will be too late for the doctors to treat the child and save his/her life.

Some ignorant parents fail to keep an eye on their sick children. Such parents never listen and take anything seriously even when children complains about something such as blood patches under their skin. Such behaviours should be changed. But media most of the time fails to report this side of the story. Media is only interested in blaming health authorities and others. But that will do very little when it comes to saving the lives of innocent children.

What the media should do is to stress the responsibilities of parents and educate them on risk factors, serious symptoms and the importance of letting sick children recover and monitoring them continuously even after fever goes away. Only then sick children can be saved from death.

Urine doesn't ease jellyfish stings, after all

Melissa Dahl

This could prevent some awkward beach encounters this summer: Turns out, urine does not ease the pain from jellyfish stings - regardless of what your "Friends" told you. Actually, you're better off using vinegar - or, if that's not in your beach bag, ocean water - as urine just doesn't have the right chemical makeup to neutralize the sting, reports The Telegraph today quoting head of British Red Cross first aid Joe Mulligan.

"If people have been stung, they need to get out of the water to avoid getting stung again. Once out, slowly pouring seawater over the sting will help ease the pain. "Doing the same thing with vinegar can be even more effective as the acid helps neutralise the jellyfish sting. But, unless you're near a chip shop, seawater will probably be easier to find." Emergency physician Dr. Ryan Stanton, who's spent some time in Australia and is familiar with the country's venomous box jellyfish, agrees.

The efficacy hierarchy here is this: vinegar, isopropyl alcohol, ocean water - then urine, explains Stanton, now the medical director at UK HealthCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

The acidic chemicals in the vinegar, alcohol and even the seawater neutralize the sting and deactivate the nemotocysts - the stinging cells that inject the creature's venom into your skin. msnbc.com

Prize winners in Medical Crossword No 47

Following are the prize winners in the Health Watch Medical Crossword No 47 drawn last week at the Wish Institute. First prize of Rs 3,000: Entry No 20-M Petumal, Rtd clerk, No 74, Bonjean Rd, Colombo 13.

Chandra Kanthi Siriwardena, special invitee at the crossword draw who had sent her entry for the draw, attached to a beautiful card with a coloured swan knitted to it, putting the correct entries for the crossword into the Mixing box	Medical Crossword Draw 47 first prize winner Edward Mack (Centre) receiving his prize cheque from Dr Kelum Palpola as crossword coordinator Edward Arambewala (left) looks on
Crossword sponsors Wish Institute, Head, Mihiri Wickremarachchi (right) handing over the consolation prize of Mrs N S Samarasena to her son Chandra Samarasena	Dr Kelum Palpola (MBBS, Colombo, MRCP UK) of Lanka Hospital, Narahenpita (Right), picking the first prize winner in the medical crossword 47 draw with the help of Perosha Meegoda

Second prize of Rs 2,000: Entry No 57, V Rajapakse, Pensioner, No 257, Warakatenne, Kandy.

Third prize of Rs 1,000: Entry No 3, Mrs Pearl de Mel-Rtd Teacher Sambuddha Jayanthi Mawatha, Colombo 5

Consolation prizes of gift vouchers of Rs 750 each.

1. Entry No 10: Claudine Senaratne, Borelesgamuwa
2. Entry No 16: C D Kularatne, Weligama
3. Entry No 33: Chandra Piyadasa, Nugegoda

Daily News, Crossword sponsors and Wish Institute congratulate all the winners. Correction in the grid

Dear readers in the Medical Crossword grid No 48. Down column No 4 the number of letters for the word has gone as 13, when it should have been 14 and the spaces for the word has also gone as 13 when it should have been 14. Dr Palpola while regretting for this oversight when compiling the grid wishes to inform the readers to make use of the last space in the coupon to include the additional letter also.

The date to send in the solutions of Crossword No 48 has been extended to July 30.