Over 62,000 dengue cases and 60 dengue-related deaths have been reported thus far this year in Sri Lanka.
National Dengue Control Unit’s Director Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said that even if the number of dengue patients see an increase, the country’s hospital system has the capacity to deal with that situation. “But we should take all possible measures to control the spreading of the disease,”
he told a press conference held at the Government Information Department on Wednesday (26) to inform the public about the risk of dengue spreading due to the prevailing rainy weather.
Dr.Samaraweera said the symptoms of dengue fever will depend on the severity of the disease. Around 75 percent of people with dengue fever will not experience symptoms.
He said that there is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.”If you suspect you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers like paracetamol and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding,”he said. Dengue symptoms usually begin four to six days after infection and can last for up to 10 days, and may include high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever, mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums or easy bruising). Sometimes, symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the flu or another viral infection.
Dengue patients should also rest, drink plenty of fluids and see one’s doctor. Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it. If the patient begins to feel worse in the first 24 hours after fever goes down, they should get admitted to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications.
National Dengue Control Unit Entomologist Sathira Marasinghe explaining about the life cycle of the dengue mosquito and said that dengue mosquitoes can breed in very little water and can breed in clear water rather than clean water.
He said dengue can spread in water containing organic matter and the eggs have the ability to survive without water for six months to a year.
