Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Dengue Fever

What is the most scary thing in Penang at the moment?
Mosquito bite !!!!!!!!! especially Aedes aegypti mosquitoes !!!!!!!!!!!
(From what I remember, there's 4 serotypes of Aedes species )

Too many dengue cases lately.. and so many patients dying cos of dengue hemorrhagic fever.. In fact, Penang is now the "hot spot" for dengue fever. :(

Frankly speaking, I'm now really phobia of mosquitoes...

Last Saturday, I went to Secret Recipe @ Bayan Baru to meet up with three old university friends.. We know each other since 1993 or 1994.. Then we visited one of my friend's apartment. Aiyoh, after coming down from her apartment around 5:45 pm, I almost get bitten by one aedes mosquito. When I entered the car, I noticed this Aedes mosquito landing on my right forearm. Luckily I acted pretty fast and manage to kill the mosquito before it "attacked" me :P It's the Aedes mosquitoes cos I can see clearly the black and white stripes on the legs...

I have see and treated so many patients with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (which can be fatal in certain cases...). And we have lost few patients cos of this.. The sad thing is these group of patients are "not very responsive" to resuscitation. Despite all the efforts and hard work given, (including the necessary blood products transfusion) trying to save them, they still succumbed towards the end. I do believe/suspect there's a "new"resistant strain of Aedes emerging, which cause severe "capillary leakage"...

Nowadays, the allocated wards in the hospital are "overflow" with patients already; there are numerous Dengue Fever patients.... although a number of them are actually viral fever..

Some tips to follow or remember :
  • Aedes mosquitoes mostly bite at certain hours ~ dusk till dawn. Avoid going outdoors or doing exercise during these peak biting hours. And remember, exercise produce sweat, CO2, lactic acid and heat, which will attract mosquitoes..
  • Try to wear long sleeves light coloured clothing, long pants or socks when going outdoor, cos this will help to reduce the chances of getting mosquito bites. Avoid wearing dark coloured clothings cos these attract mosquitoes.
  • If possible, use Insect Repellent on exposed skin when going outdoors, especially when going to places with possiblity of getting mosquitoes bite(s). The most effective compound is DEET (N,N-diethyl meta-toluamide), an ingredient in most insect repellents.Even a short duration outdoors can expose one to mosquito bite. Don't apply insect repellent under the clothes. Avoid applying insect repellent to portions of the hands that are likely to come in contact with the mouth and eyes.
  • Avoid or stay away from clear, stagnant water (These are aedes mosquitoes breeding ground)
  • Seek medical treatment if having continuous high fever, muscle pain (myalgia), bone and joint pain (dengue fever is also known as "breakbone fever"), pain behind the eyes (retro orbital pain), red spots or rashes or petechiae on the skin, and bleeding tendencies...
  • And remember, prevention is better than cure... Get rid of all the possible Aedes breeding grounds !! And don't merely depends on fogging, cos the Aedes is quite "immune" or "not susceptible" to fogging already. And bear in mind, fogging doesn't kill the mosquitoes larvaes in stagnant water.
  • And up-to-date, there's no antiviral therapy or vaccine for dengue !

11 comments:

Jellyfish said...

lets start by praying that all our fellow malaysians are alrite :)

Sharl612 said...

Thanks for the advice, doc. You take care too.

izso said...

At this rate we'll start having people visiting hospitals because of allergic reactions to repellent :P

I'll bet the price of mosquito coil went up!

Cynthia said...

ah! those people in msia especailly penang, open your eyes big big, smack any mozzies if they come close; listen far far.. pay attention to doctor's and G-man advice.. good luck!

Anonymous said...

Good advice by the Doc.

The Government should be more than fogging

hornbill said...

Aiya.... i was one of the victim... went to the clinic twice... they said, its just a normal fever. I asked the MA about the dengue symptoms and the MA looked at me... "macam mana kamu tahu kamu kena dengi?" Finally, after suffering for 5 days I went to the Sarikei Hospital... Thanks God I'm still alive. Feel like want to saman the MA.

Sharl612 said...

Hornbill,
File a report to the Health Ministry!

Chen,
A dear colleague of mine at the Penang branch is admitted for dengue since yesterday. Poor thing.

Chen said...

jellyfish,
yeah, Hope all these will be over soon...
I still remember the SARS period, damn scary especially for us who works in the hospital...

Cynthia, Hawks
sure, thanks :)

izso,
Hahhaha...
Btw, nowadays not many people use mosquito coil already lah... :P
I think the last time I used it is something like more than 2 decades ago..

Hornbill,
Poor u :( How long ago was this ah?
as what Sharl mentioned, u can lodge a complaint on this matter to the Health Ministry..

Sharl,
Hope your colleague is okie.. Is he/she suspected dengue fever or confirm liao?
Lately the hospital is admitting most of the fever cases for observation..
Lots of these cases turn out to be viral fever only and not dengue.
However, it's better to be safe than sorry...

hornbill said...

3 years already... During the World Cup 2002. That nite can't watch the final..... My aunt wanted to file a report actually but kesian jugak sama itu orang. Fresh MA....

Furkids in Hong Kong™ said...

We wish your Dengue Fever patients a speedy recovery and that this particular type of mosquito can be controlled soon.

SARS, H5N1, Dengue Fever ....... damn scary stuff.

Take care.

Chen said...

Furkids in HK,
More & more diseases appear day by day..
Really have to be "fully alert" every moment..