Peru is suffering from a very serious epidemic of what is known as “fracture fever”: dengue. In fact, this is a traditionally serious outbreak, as the worst dengue outbreak the country has ever seen. The epidemic has already inflamed more than 146,000 people. other people and at least 248 deaths. It also led to the resignation of Rosa Gutierrez, MD, as Peru’s Minister of Health, due to questions about her handling of the outbreak. And don’t expect Peru to emerge from this outbreak at any time. soon.
In fact, El Niño and Cyclone Yaku brought a lot of rain to northern Peru in the months of April and May. And such situations have led to a real biting situation: an increase in the mosquito population. This includes a wave of Aedes aegypti, the Mosquito that can bring one of the other 4 types of dengue viruses and infect you by biting you.
Dengue is not an easy disease; Very few ailments nicknamed “bone fractures” are. Only one in four people infected with the dengue virus will develop symptoms. This may sound good, but, in the words of Run-DMC, it’s complicated. If you have asymptomatic dengue, you may not even realize you have dengue unless you have a blood test to make the diagnosis. Although being infected with one type of dengue virus possibly expands immunity to that express type, this will not be the case for the other 3 types. In fact, it can increase the risk of dengue getting worse if it becomes inflamed with other types of dengue virus. Not knowing you’ve already had dengue could make you not realize that you’re at higher risk for severe dengue. Dengue fever is a bit like listening to the song “Who Let the Dogs Out?” “It can be a lot worse right now.
It is not more uncommon to have mild dengue. Mild dengue is made up of two to seven days of fever accompanied by nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle, joint, bone, or eye aches. Don’t be fooled by the “sweet” moniker, though. Dengue fever is not like Bieber’s fever. This has earned it the nickname “fracture fever” because the pain can feel like someone is breaking your bones.
While there’s no specific treatment for dengue, getting lots of rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking acetaminophen for the fever and pain can help. Be on the lookout, though. To put it mildly, mild dengue can turn into severe dengue within just a few hours. And severe dengue is a medical emergency.
So, when you may have mild dengue, look for the following warning signs that severe dengue is just around the corner: suffering belly tenderness or pain, vomiting at least three times over a 24-hour period, vomiting up blood, bleeding from your nose or gums, or having blood in your stool. You may also notice tiredness, restlessness, or irritability. Of course, vomiting up blood in of itself can make you restless. You don’t typically say, “I’m vomiting up blood right now but let’s just continue with the date” or post on Instagram, “Vomiting up blood, #Zen.” If you notice any of these symptoms, see a doctor as soon as possible. And don’t just see a doctor and wave. Seek emergent care from that doctor.
This is because severe dengue can lead to shock, severe internal bleeding (as opposed to severe internal bleeding), and potentially death. Severe dengue ends up affecting about one in 20 people with dengue. You’re more likely to get severe dengue if you’ve had it in the past. That’s why the fact that you didn’t have any symptoms in a previous bout of dengue can be a bit misleading. The first dengue infection can cause your immune formula to react more aggressively the moment you become infected. The resulting “antibody-dependent enhancement” may contribute to worsening dengue in the future. You’re also more likely to develop severe dengue if you’re a baby or if you’re pregnant.
Dengue fever is on the rise worldwide. From 2000 to 2019, the number of internationally reported cases in a given year dropped from 505,430 to 5. 2 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dengue fever is not unusual in hot, humid climates where Aedes mosquitoes tend to spread. live. But those regions have grown in recent decades as global temperatures have continued to rise. That’s because, as you know, climate change is real, despite what some politicians and public figures would possibly insist.
There is a dengue vaccine, called Dengvaxia. But wait, wait, wait until you’ve had dengue at least once to get vaccinated. Its use is limited to young people between the ages of nine and 16, who live in dengue-endemic areas. and who have had laboratory-confirmed dengue virus infection in the past. This is because you do not need the antibody reaction resulting from the vaccine to increase the chance of getting severe dengue.
Unless the current rate of climate change slows, we can expect more and more dengue outbreaks to occur. And what’s interesting is that with temperatures rising around the world, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have spread their wings in places that haven’t had such mosquitoes, especially in many parts of the United States. So, in the years to come, expect to hear about it. Outbreaks of dengue fever where I had never heard of it before. This is yet another explanation for why governments and companies may want to work at a much faster pace to reduce the pollutants that continue to be released into the air and avoid treating the Earth like a gigantic toilet.