Baby Talk January 2019

Bump to Birth
Feature
With the huge rise of dengue cases in our country,
it has become a worry for people everywhere. It is
found to be most common in tropical and subtropical
areas of the world, and that places us Malaysians at
high risk all year around.
Dengue is now so common that everyone is at risk of getting
it. The World Health Organization estimates that there are
about 50 to 100 million dengue infections worldwide every
year. It is the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry this virus
and spread it through their bites. These mosquitoes have
distinctive black and white stripes on their bodies and they
breed in stagnant water
They are most active during dawn and dusk, but they
may come out to feed at other times too. Mosquitoes are
known to breed much more in the rainy season which is
when dengue cases shoot up to its peak. These mosquitoes
carry the virus with them for life, which is approximately
for 40 days.
See your doctor, get a blood test
done
The reason a blood test should be done is so that your
doctor can confirm if the dengue virus is present in your
bloodstream. It is also possible to have dengue but have very
mild symptoms. Severe dengue can be potentially fatal, with
complications that could lead to bleeding and organ damage.
The warning signs normally appear three to seven days after
the original symptoms and these can include reduced fever,
abdominal pain, rapid breathing and bleeding gums. Most
people suffering from dengue take about two weeks to
recover but might still feel weak for a couple of weeks after.
What are the symptoms of
dengue?
Symptoms usually start appearing about three days after
being bitten by an infected mosquito. Below are some of the
symptoms of dengue:
• Sudden high fever
• Severe headache
• Pain in the eyes which cause eye movement problem
• Severe body ache
• Loss of taste
and appetite
• Mild bleeding from
nose and gums
• Nausea and vomiting
The symptoms stated
above can easily be
confused with other
illnesses that have similar
symptoms, such as a
bad case of flu - only a
blood test would be able
to determine if you have
been infected with the
virus.
How dangerous is dengue during
pregnancy?
If you are pregnant and happen to contract this disease, it is
most likely to be severe. This is because during pregnancy,
your immune system is
suppressed. You might need to
be admitted into the hospital
for treatment. However, there
have been many cases where
pregnant women only had a
mild infection of this disease.
Contracting dengue
might give rise to possible
complications like pre-term
labour and having a low birth
weight baby if you happen
to get infected during your
pregnancy. Dengue causes a
drop in blood platelet levels
which can be determined by a
blood test. Pregnant women
who get infected usually have
their blood platelet levels drop
quite low.
BabyTalk | January 2019 13