sites to annotate

I am still trying to figure out how the disease attacks the body at a molecular level.

for similarities between dengue and yellow fever:
http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/yellowfever.htm

more on dengue
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no05/05-0195.htm


Having every other site telling me about the symptoms of dengue fever is becoming a bit problematic, since they don't explain the specifics.

I want to be able to find the answers to these:

• Which organs does it affect the most and how
• why and how do rashes form?
• permanent damage it could do to the body
• How does the disease spread when the mosquito bites?

There will definitely be more questions later.

For Kristen Colley - studying drugs

Kristen is studying the drugs used for dengue fever, and in my last post there is an interesting website that suggests homeopathic treatments for the disease.

it's: http://www.delhihomeo.com/php/treatment/dengue_pre.htm

For simple dengue fever, it suggests taking a medicine called Eupatorium perfoliatum 200. It is to be "taken twice daily for three days and subsequently 2 doses a week in intervals of three."

For hemorrhagic dengue, it suggests taking ipecac in 200 potency.

I am not sure about the details as to the availability of these medicines to the people of South America since this site was made in Dehli. I may look into these later.

Avoiding Dengue Fever

http://www.dhpe.org/infect/dengue.html
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/d/dengue_fever/prevent.htm
http://www.delhihomeo.com/php/treatment/dengue_pre.htm - more reliable

From most of the sources I have found, they have suggested similar ways of preventing dengue fever.

First off, it is best to avoid mosquito-infested places such as tropical areas.
But yet, that does not assist those who live in those specific areas.

More imporantly for those who do live in those places should make sure:

• that the environment is clean
• water and containers should be covered
• mosquito nets should be used
• eliminate mosquito breeding sites

let me emphasize on water...mosquitoes can hardly exist without it.

Conditions where Dengue thrives

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n3_v45/ai_12026528

In this site I found, it says that dengue can be transmitted to person to person through the bite of a certain "host mosquito" called a female Aides aegypti mosquito. This mosquito apparently also plays a big part in yellow fever.

The places that these mosquitoes breed in include: "artificial water entrapment receptacles and is found in highest density near private homes. Discarded tires are a favorite site, as well as water storage receptacles, cans and open bottles." - I can conclude that people living in places that are well-littered with trash have greater chances of getting dengue fever.

The site goes on to say:

"The eggs are hardy and can resist drying for several months. The mosquito has a short flight range, and in urban areas, dengue frequently spreads from house to house in a contiguous manner, sometimes along one side of a street.(5) A. aegypti is widely disseminated in the United States (Figure 1), and consequently the potential for wider indigenous transmission exists. The transmission cycle begins when a female mosquito bites an infected host during the four- to five-day period of viremia, which occurs just before the onset of symptoms.(9)"

The latter part of this paragraph says that the A. aegypti, which is the mosquito that carry the disease, has multiplied in the States and there is a potential that more people will be affected by the disease. It may become an epidemic that had never seemed to reach our country.

.... And the last sentence basically says that an infected person will only discover that he or she has dengue fever within four or five days after they have been bitten by the mosquito.



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www2.ncid.cdc.gov/travel/yb/utils/ybGet.asp?section=dis&obj=dengue.htm

Most of the countries with dengue fever are tropical, where the weather is really humid and many rain forests are thriving. This is the problem for the poorer tropical countries where mosquitoes are thriving and cleanliness is an issue.

I am still not quite sure how dengue fever attacks the body on the molecular level. I will try to get some information on that soon.

Rise of Dengue Fever

http://www.violenceworker.com/my_weblog/2007/week13/index.html

This article says that several cases of dengue fever has risen considerably in Mexico and South America due to climate change. From looking at the comparative illustration in the other blog entry, you could totally see the difference between those years leading up to 1997. Now ever since the year 2001, dengue fever has risen more than 600 percent

But what interested me was the fact that immigrants and tourists coming from Mexico may carry a form of the disease, which may allow the mosquitoes to spread into the country.

This can definitely bring up the social issue of legal immigration. The thing is, Dengue fever does not have drug treatments available to cure it, nor does it have a vaccination to prevent it. Dengue is spreading drastically in the southern hemisphere and could cause havoc when it significantly affects the northern hemisphere.

Stats

http://www.lehigh.edu/~kada/Dengue%20Background.html

the background of dengue fever

http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Pathogens/DENV.html



The origin of dengue feaver is not completely known and is being debated on. They believed that it orginated in Africa where the slave trade took place. The name "dengue" is supposedly derived from the Swahili "Ka-Dinga pepo" where the disease came from an evil spirit. Dengue fever is similar to yellow feaver since it also involves passing the disease through primates living in the jungle, as well as the mosquitos that feed on them.

Basics of Dengue

http://www.afrims.org/images/dengue-protect.jpg

"Dengue is a disease caused by any one of four closely related virus (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4). The viruses are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. The virusc circulates in the blood leading ot fecer. Infection with one strain does not provide cross protection against another strain.

"Dengue fecer symptoms appear within 5-6 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito,and last for 1 to 2 weeks, including:

the sudden onset of a high fecer, up to 39 degrees Celsius

• Severe headache.
• Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain.
• Severe joint and muscle pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Rash appearing on the arms or legs 3 to 4 days after fever begins.
• Abnormal bleeding and very low blood pressure(shock) may occur in severe cases.

"Blood test: PCR for Dengue. Dengue lgG and lgM. The PCR based method is more effective in the first few days of infection.

"If you get Dengue fever: Visit your physician, Rest, Drink plenty of water, and take medicine ot reduce your fever, but avoid Aspirin."

Kristen C. left me a comment earlier asking why aspirin is so harmful to a person . Apparently aspirin is an anticoagulant, meaning that it thins the blood. An anitcoagulant is not necessarily bad since it prevents blood clots, but in this case it doesn't help people with dengue fever to recover. The fever is hemorrhagic, which means the victim loses blood. Blood thickens when a person is bleeding, and aspirin prevents thickening. To minimize blood loss, and to stop bleeding as soon as possible, aspirin should definitely be avoided.

Plus, children should never take aspirin in any circumstance since they run the risk of getting what is known as Reye Syndrome, which is a life threatening disease that usually occurs after a viral illness. It is believed that people who have taken aspirin or pills likewise are more susceptible to this disease.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n3_v45/ai_12026528/pg_4

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/reye.html