Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Dengue fever, also known as bone fever, usually spreads during the rainy season, when the weather is warm and humid. Dengue mosquitoes are also usually active during the day. In particular, the dengue virus can infect anyone in any age group, both children and adults. The common symptoms of dengue are fever, pain behind the eyes, headache, bone, muscle or joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Now, Delhi has been witnessing a surge in dengue cases, with 124 infections recorded so far this year – the highest since 2018 when the city recorded 137 cases. There were no reports of deaths this year. According to data collected by MCD in the same period (1 January to 4 September), there were 96 cases of vector-borne disease in the city in 2020 and 122 in 2019. Of the total cases that year, 72 were reported in August, with the largest number South MCD.

What precautions can be taken to control dengue from spreading?

The precautions that help to stop spreading dengue are:

1. The most important step to prevent dengue at home is to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites. Mosquitoes that cause dengue fever usually breed in stagnant water such as buckets, pots, water tanks, air conditioners, and more. Therefore, you should always empty the source of standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and ultimately reduce the mosquito population. Do not allow wet dirt to accumulate near your home and keep your surroundings clean to reduce the risk of mosquito exposure.
   
2.  A few people know that plants release natural gas to repel mosquitoes. Therefore, you should keep mosquito repellent plants such as tulsi, eucalyptus, lemongrass, neem and others in your home. You can keep these plants near your window as they have properties that can prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
3.  In order to prevent dengue at home, you must develop a habit of spraying pest spray every alternate day at your home. With this, you can kill dengue mosquitoes and even destroy their unhatched eggs.

Although there is no specific vaccine or remedy against dengue, you can always protect yourself and your children by adopting some preventive measures to keep the environment safe at home.

Some of the preventive measures to protect children from dengue:

Children are more susceptible to all kinds of diseases because they usually play outdoors and are not aware of the complexities of mosquito bites. This is why it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect your children from dengue mosquito bites, here are some tips.

For babies from the age of 2 months, it is better to use repellents with active ingredients such as DEET up to 30%, Picaridin or IR3535. You need to make sure the repellant is made with a formula that is gentle and gentle on the baby’s skin.

Strong immunity gives strength to fight dengue fever. Therefore, you should add food to increase immunity in your child’s diet. Try to include broccoli, turmeric, yogurt, ginger, garlic, spinach, citrus fruits, and almonds.

You need to make your children wear protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts or t-shirts and pants. This will minimize the exposed areas of your skin. You can even apply permethrin (a medication and insecticide) to clothing, shoes, and even mosquito nets to help eliminate or minimize mosquitoes that breed in the vicinity.

Read Also: Dengue fever: What to eat and what to avoid?

These are the simplest steps you can take to protect your children from dengue fever. You just need to keep the area clean so that mosquitoes don’t breed around your child.

How can you detect early symptoms of dengue in children?

You can detect early symptoms of dengue fever in children by checking if your child is having any symptoms and by treating it before it’s too late.  Apart from this, you should always be on the lookout for signs of dehydration in your child. If you suspect any unusual changes in your child, such as dry mouth, sunken soft spots on the baby’s forehead, decreased urination, crying without tears, you should contact the doctor immediately.