Therapeutic Interventions (to manage symptoms)

1. Fever
Let the sick member sleep for at least 8 hours

Bed rest helps the sick member preserve

during nighttime and at least 2 hours of naps

energy and also for comfort measures.

during daytime.
Give Paracetamol (not more than four times in 24

To decrease high temperature (>37.6 C). If

hours)

fever is not managed or treated, children with

dengue fever are at risk for febrile seizures.

Gently sponge the skin of the sick member with

lukewarm

water

paracetamol.

if

fever

stays

after

giving

helps in decreasing a high temperature

(>37.6 C).

temperature of a child if he/she has a fever? 37.7 C

What is the

WATCH OUT!

Severe abdominal pain

Body pain
Persistent vomiting
Red spots on the skin
Nose bleeding
Bleeding
from
Vomiting blood

gums

Black stools
Drowsiness
Irritability
Pale, cold, or sweaty skin
Arthralgia
Difficulty breathing

WHAT TO

DO!

If symptoms persist or worsen, bring the sick member immediately

to the nearest clinic or emergency department.

WHAT

NOT

TO DO!

Do not wait in case

the
above
symptoms
appear.
Immediately consult a doctor. It is crucial to quickly get treatment in case
of these complications.
Do not give ibuprofen or aspirin for fever. These medications may cause
bleeding.
Antibiotics are not necessary. Although Dengue fever is caused by
dengue virus, antibiotics are not necessary

HOW TO INCREASE PLATELET COUNT?

1. Drink extract (katas) of papaya

leaves. The leaves can be crushed
and then strained with a cloth to
drink the pure juice.
Fresh Papaya leaves (excluding
veins) should be mixed with a
little cold water and ground
and filtered.
Consume 10 ml four times a
day.
Fever will subside on
consumption for five days.
Even after recovery from fever
this may be continued for
another two days (Organic
Facts, 2016)

Page 3

Increases platelet count

The high levels of vitamin C
help stimulate the immune
system

Page 3

2. Soaked and Brewed Neem leaves

as an oral fluid.
Fresh
Malaivembu
leaves
should be mixed with a little
cold water and ground and
filtered.
Consume 10 ml two to three
times a day.
Fever
will
subside
on
consumption for five days.
Even after recovery from fever
this may be continued for
another two days. (Organic
Facts, 2016)

Increase both blood platelet

count and white blood cell
count.
Improve the immune system
and return your strength much
faster.

*Platelet- responsible for blood

clotting
*Wbc-responsible for fighting
infections of the body.

WHAT TO DO!

If symptoms persist or worsen, bring the sick member immediately

to the nearest clinic or emergency department.

HOW TO MANAGE DEHYDRATION?

 Oral rehydration solution (ORS) should be given based on

weight, using currently recommended ORS. (>5 glasses for
average adult and children).

What is ORS?

ORS (oral rehydration salts) is a special combination of dry

salts that is mixed with safe water. It can help replace the
fluids lost due to diarrhea.

When should ORS be used?

When a child has three or more loose stools in a day, begin to give ORS. In
addition, for 1014 days, give children over 6 months of age 20 milligrams
of zinc per day (tablet or syrup); give children under 6 months of age 10
milligrams per day (tablet or syrup).

Are there any substitute for ORS?

Yes. How?
o You can make an ORS by following these steps:

Step 1

Where can ORS are obtained?

In most countries, ORS packets are available from health centers,

pharmacies, markets and shops.

How is the ORS drink prepared?

Put the contents of the ORS packet in a clean container. Check the packet
for directions and add the correct amount of clean water. Too little water
could make the diarrhea worse.
Add water only. Do not add ORS to milk, soup, fruit juice or soft drinks. Do
not add sugar.
Stir well, and feed it to the child from a clean cup. Do not use a bottle.

How much ORS drink to give?

Encourage the child to drink as much as possible.

A child under the age of 2 years needs at least 1/4 to 1/2 of a large (250millilitre) cup of the ORS drink after each watery stool.

A child aged 2 years or older needs at least 1/2 to 1 whole large

(250-millilitre) cup of the ORS drink after each watery stool.

 What if ORS is not available?

Give the child a drink made with 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 level
teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 litre of clean water.
Be very careful to mix the correct amounts. Too much sugar can make the
diarrhea worse. Too much salt can be extremely harmful to the child.
Making the mixture a little too diluted (with more than 1 litre of clean
water) is not harmful. (Programme, 2014).

If none of these drinks is available, other alternatives are:

Fresh fruit juice

Weak tea
Green coconut water

If nothing else is available, give:

Water from the cleanest possible source

(if possible brought to the boil and then cooled).

TREATMENT
COMPLICATIONS

OF

HEMORRHAGIC

Mucosal bleeding may occur in any patient with dengue but if the
patient remains stable with fluid resuscitation/
replacement, it should be considered as minor.
This usually improves rapidly during the
recovery phase.
In patients with profound thrombocytopenia, ensure
strict bed rest and protection from trauma to
reduce the risk of bleeding.

Do not give intramuscular injections to avoid hematoma.

Note:
Prophylactic
platelet
transfusions
for
severe
thrombocytopenia in otherwise hemodynamically stable patients
are not necessary.

 If major bleeding occurs, it is usually from the gastrointestinal tract and/or

per vagina in adult females. Internal bleeding may not become apparent for
many hours until the first black stool is passed (DOH, 2014).

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN BLEEDING

OCCURS
Use soft bristle type of toothbrush to avoid bleeding of the
gums.
Do not eat or drink dark colored foods because you may
pass out dark colored stools and can be suspected as
bleeding. (Sharma & Saini, 2016)

Can dengue prevention be effective in individual pacing?

No. Prevention of dengue relies heavily on preventing the mosquito

that transmits dengue from breeding inside and in the vicinity of
homes that should be done by all members of a community to ensure
that no breeding places exist, and prevent dengue from occurring.
Can home management be done?
Yes. The development of a therapeutic strategy that reduces the
duration and severity of symptoms and/or reduces the incidence or
magnitude of these major complications has become a priority.

Is there a need for all the family members to be informed on

dengue?

Yes. Informing the other family members about dengue can help them
prevent acquiring the disease because dengue mosquito are present
anywhere.

Should preventive actions be done all year round?

Yes. Preventive actions should be done all year round because

statistics from DOH shows that dengue cases are present all year
round though it is more prevalent during the rainy seasons.

Should preventive measures be stopped after the disease

have been acquired?

 No. There 4 types of dengue and acquiring one of them will not
immunized you to the other types of dengue and following infection
can be worse than previous one.
Is dengue fever dangerous?
Yes. The infection can become dangerous since it may damage the
blood vessels, that may cause bleeding and even death.
Is dengue curable?
Yes. Like most viral diseases, there is no specific cure for dengue fever.
Antibiotics do not help. But it is usually a self-limited illness (an illness
that resolves without specific treatment).
Can people die from dengue fever?
Yes. People who suffer from dengue fever may develop dengue
hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Death can
occur in some of these cases if they are not treated in time. With
proper, timely treatment, patients with DHF and DSS can recover fully.