25/03/2016
Serious Symptoms Of Dengue In Children :
Are you worried about the recent dengue fever epidemic affecting children? You may be taking a lot of precautions to make sure that your children are safe, but sometimes, they just fall sick. Are you worried?, If yes, then check for the symptoms of dengue in children.
If you have witnessed the sudden outbreak of dengue fever in children and want to make sure your children are safe and protected, read on to learn about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of dengue fever in children.
What Is Dengue Fever ?
Dengue fever is also called breakbone fever in the medical world. The fever occurs when an infected mosquito bites your child and often results in rashes. Dengue is a type of tropical disease that is caused by the dengue virus. In some cases, dengue fever can also become severe and lead to more complicated health concerns, which may even turn fatal. One of the biggest risks that a person suffering from the dengue fever has is dengue hemorrhagic fever or DHF. It is a life threatening condition that needs immediate medical attention.
The dengue virus is found in five different types. In most cases, once a person gets the infection, there is lifelong immunity against that particular virus and short term immunity against the other types.
Causes Of Dengue In Children :
The dengue fever can show up in your child if your child has been bitten by an infected mosquito that is carrying the dengue virus. The most common type of mosquito that helps to spread dengue fever further is the female tiger mosquito. It is a type of mosquito found in the tropical and subtropical areas in South East Asia and is also known by the name of Asian tiger mosquito. The main differentiating mark on the female tiger mosquito is the black and white stripes all over its legs and body.
Symptoms Of Dengue In Children:
In many cases, your child may not exhibit any symptoms that point towards the dengue fever. Some children may show mild symptoms that usually appear anytime within four days to two weeks after they first get the bite from the dengue-carrying infected mosquito. The symptoms, once they appear, will stay for about two to seven days.
In case your child does contract dengue fever, you should watch out for the following signs and symptoms. Also, remember that not all children will have all the symptoms and may have either one or more of the following. In the event that you do notice the symptoms mentioned below, make sure to speak to your child’s doctor and schedule an appointment:
In case of infants or toddlers, the symptoms will be as follows :
A runny nose.
A small skin rash or a few skin rashes.
A slight cough.
A sudden temperature that can shoot up to a high fever very fast.
In case of older children, the symptoms will be as follows :
A dull and continuous pain behind the eyes and in the various joints in the body.
A sudden temperature that can shoot up to a high fever very fast.
Pain in the back and headaches.
Your child may seem to get bruised easily and may show a bruised patch on the skin from even a minor bump.
Sudden bleeding from various parts of the body, like the gums or the nose. The reason this could happen is that your child will experience a low platelet count due to dengue fever. The platelets are important components of your child’s blood and help the blood to clot, thus preventing excessive bleeding. In a normal case, the platelet levels are usually between 150000 and 450000 per ml.
Moreover, your child will most likely also develop a skin rash that will look like a red and white patch on the skin. The rash can also be itchy and may show up after a few days when the fever first begins.