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Dengue!!! A name of danger, striking death, horror and prevailing fever in the town today. A decade before it seemed a story of the alien’s town and people listened it through news channels and media groups.  Pakistan is on the worst alert on dengue now days. The history never witnessed a mosquito causing schools, colleges and universities to be closed for uncertain time. All government policies, strategies and precautionary measures went in vain. The hospitals are crowded and wards are rushed with the patients of the spread disease. Doctors are bewildered and medical staff is making double shifts, sacrificing their appetite and sleep for the unending arrival of patients.

A single question all around; what is dengue? How and from where it comes? This is a disease caused by a type of virus transmitted by a mosquito. Though all people face equal danger but those who have weak immunity system are likely to face more danger of it.  The other names of the fever are break bone fever and dandy fever. Though a person can have multiple attacks of the dengue but one type of dengue attacks for one time. The starting can move to the severe form of the disease and death can occur.

The symptoms of the dengue include headache, fever, joint pain, rash, bleeding gums, red palms and soles and severe pan behind the eyes are the most common symptoms of the fever. After being bitten by a mosquito, the incubation period is of three to fifteen days.  The starts of chills take place with the high rise in body temperature. The temperature may rise as high as 104 Fahrenheit. A severe pain rises from back and eyes are reddened. Instantly follows the severe sweating which lowers the body temperature. The palms and soles seem as allergic.

The diagnosis of dengue is bit difficult as its symptoms closely relate to the other diseases like West Nile and other viral illnesses. In 2011 U.S.A Food Department introduced a blood test for the confirmation of dengue. The test is carried out now for the diagnosis of dengue all around. But here again is the suspicion that the test can be positive even if a person is not having dengue but other diseases having resembled symptoms.

Dengue is caused by the bite of a mosquito Aedes aegypti. The bite of a mosquito that has already bitten the person having dengue fever causes the disease. The disease is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person but it has to take a pathway from person to mosquito and then to another human being.

The tropic and subtropics are more risky for having dengue virus. The fast spreading reason can also be the returning or arrival of the persons from the areas where dengue is all around. In this way the virus is transferred from one area to another. Caribbean, Middle East, West Indies, India and U.S.A are the countries having the high danger of dengue.  

Preventions can be taken to avoid dengue. As it is caused by mosquito bite, People shod use sleeping nets around their beds. Water is a substrate for mosquito, so all buckets and tubs must be kept empty and dry. Houses shod be swept regularly and all corners must be checked to see if there is any mosquito colony.  Mosquito sprays should be used on regular bases for having totally cleaned environment. Long pants and long sleeves should be put on so that the minimum body area is exposed and fewer chances are there for mosquitoes to bite.

As far as the treatment of dengue is concerned; it is a viral disease, so, there is no specified medicine or antibiotic to treat it. Only precautions can be measured to minimize the risk factors. So, the patient should be given complete rest. He should be kept under the mosquito net unless for the second fever to go down. The relief of the symptoms is treatment in this case. Aspirin should be taken under doctor’s supervision as to avoid the severe bleeding complications.

In some cases the disease goes to the worst form and sweating becomes endless; the dehydration occurs and death can happen. But it is only in the severe cases.

The research reveals the specific timings of mosquito biting; the high time is 3-4 hours after sunrise and the same after the sunset.

Medical history has many diseases which became titans in the respective ages and were found without any remedy. Not many long ago malaria kept man under its terror for several decades and the superior creature found himself quite helpless before this little creature called mosquito. The dengue case has very close resemblance with the malaria history. All herbal and quacks methodologies got failed to prevent malaria in the same way as the modern and the latest technology and the medical search is a big failure in suggesting any final remedy for dengue.

As coming back to Pakistan’s current situation; the scenario is the worst. Like other under developed and developing countries the supply is less than the demands. Medical facilities are unable to attend the enormous number of patients. The spacious rooms and wards seem congested and crowded. All hypothesis and suggested remedies seem ridiculous. The non serious attitude of the government and inter war of the politicians has turned the situation more coarse and it is causing agony and depression among common people.

How strange it seems that we are knocking at the door of the second decade of the 21^st century yet seem so helpless before the viral diseases. We claim to conquer the space yet are unable to solve the earthly problems. We want to make another world in another planet by making all possibilities of life over there but are unaware of the fact that our own earthly planet is death and disease stricken.

Dengue virus is a big question mark in the face of the modern medical research and technology and the mankind once again is waiting for a messiah to come.   

By Ammarah Iqbal