Simple steps to stave off dengue

This monsoon, watch out for danger signs and see a doctor if symptoms persist

he monsoon will soon

begin while the rains
will be a welcome relief from
the heat, doctors are warning residents to stay vigilant
about fevers and be careful
while managing them, especially dengue.
Dengue, the WHO says, is
a viral infection transmitted
by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. It is
not directly transmitted
from person to person.
Symptoms appear 3-14 days
after the bite. There is no
specic treatment.
Symptoms of dengue fever
include high fever, severe
headaches, severe joint and
muscle pain, pain behind the
eyes and rashes. While in
most cases, patients will get
better without medical assistance, if any warning signs
appear, patients must see a
doctor, says Bala Ramachandran, medical director,
Kanchi Kamakoti Childs
Trust Hospital.
The danger signs you need
to watch out for, especially
when the fever subsides are:
severe abdominal pain, per-

fall ill again, he says.

sistent vomiting, red spots

or patches on the skin,
bleeding from the nose or
gums, cold extremities, lethargy, vomiting blood, black
stools and difficulty in
breathing. If any of these
signs are present, go to a hospital immediately.
While Paracetamol can be
taken for the fever, do not
otherwise
self-medicate,
emphasises T.N. Devarajan,
senior consultant, Apollo
First Med Hospital.
Neglecting dengue fever
can lead to lung failure and
its spread to the brain, says
Prof. Devarajan. Since
there are four types of the
virus, patients who have got
one type and have recovered
can still get another type and

The birth of a child can

give rise to many strong
emotions from happiness
to fear and excitement.
For some mothers, however, the experience can lead
to deep depression.
When Priya from Ambattur had her rst child, it
was a very stressful experience for her. In the rst
couple of months after her
daughter Isha was born,
she was unable to look at
her without a sense of resentment. I was not
equipped to take care of
myself, let alone a little baby, she explained. After
counselling, and a lot of
support from her family,
she is now back to normal.
According to P.M. Gopinath, Director, Senior
Consultant, SIMS Hospital, baby blues, or post partum depression, happens
to mothers who have just
delivered. This includes
mood swings, crying, anx-

iety and even difficulty

sleeping. Typically, it is
caused by the stress of giving birth, and is more common in the rst pregnancy.
While most women get
over it in a couple of days, a
handful endure depression, he said.
Nithya Ramamurthy, Senior Consultant Gynecologist and Obstetrician,
Fortis Malar, says the
problem is often caused by
insecurity. Many mothers cannot handle the
stress of delivery, especially those who have not
planned their birth and
have a lot of lingering
questions, she said.
It is critical for the family
to be supportive. If the
depression continues after
a couple of days, the mothers need professional
help, she said.
(Reporting by Zubeda
Hamid
and
Kavita
Kishore)

chennaidesk@thehindu.co.in