A 10-year-old girl passed away while she was undergoing treatment for dengue at a private hospital in Hanamkonda on Monday. The girl was from Vidyanagar colony in Huzurabad, Karimnagar district of Telangana, reports Deccan Chronicle. She was diagnosed with dengue after the doctors conducted tests, but despite treatment, her blood platelet count dropped drastically which led to her death on Monday morning.
The 10-year-old girl’s father, Ravula Venkateshwarlu said that after his daughter suffered from a fever for a week, they took her to a local hospital and administered medication at home.
However, her condition worsened after four days and following a local doctor’s advice, her father admitted her to a private hospital in Hanamkonda where she passed away.
Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It isn’t a contagious infection except when passed from a pregnant person to their child. Symptoms are usually mild with your first infection. However, the illness might become severe for some people and this is known as dengue hemorrhagic fever. It can cause serious bleeding, sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and even death.
It is important that you seek medical advice when you start to see the early symptoms; high fever being one of them as there’s no cure for dengue. Here, take a look at some of the common symptoms of dengue.
- Headache
- Muscle, bone or joint pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Pain behind the eyes
- Swollen glands
- Rash.
While most people recover within a week or so, the condition might worsen for some people and become life-threatening. This is known as severe dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. In such cases, the platelets drop which can cause shock, internal bleeding, organ failure and even death. Other signs of severe dengue are:
- Severe stomach pain
- Persistent vomiting
- Bleeding from your gums or nose
- Blood in your urine, stools or vomit
- Bleeding under the skin, which might look like bruising
- Difficult or rapid breathing
- Fatigue
- Irritability or restlessness.
Tips To Prevent Dengue In Kids
Here, take a look at some of the preventive measures for dengue in kids.
- Use Mosquito Repellent: Apply insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin on exposed skin, especially during peak mosquito activity times.
- Wear Protective Clothing: Dress kids in long sleeves and long pants, ideally light-coloured to minimize skin exposure to mosquitoes.
- Install Screens: Ensure windows and doors have screens to keep mosquitoes out of the home. Repair any holes promptly.
- Get Rid of Standing Water: Regularly check and remove sources of stagnant water, such as flower pots, buckets and puddles where mosquitoes breed.
- Use Mosquito Nets: When sleeping, especially during the day, use bed nets treated with insecticide to prevent mosquito bites.
- Avoid Outdoor Activities: Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk; try to keep your kids indoors during these periods.
