Dengue Fever In Children During The Rainy Season, What Should We Do?

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a viral infection that is often caused by the bite of the aedes aegypti mosquito. This disease relates to the rainy season since many places that have the potential to get flooded facilitate the rapid growth and breeding of mosquitoes. Parents let's learn more about dengue fever and how to prevent it before your child contracts it.

Children Are More Susceptible to Dengue Fever

According to data from the Ministry of Health in September 2022, dengue cases in the age range of 5-14 years were found as many as 35.61%. The Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) explained that environmental factors greatly influence children's susceptibility to dengue disease.

Recognize the Symptoms of Dengue Fever in Children

Dengue fever is a disease that can affect anyone, including children. The symptoms of dengue fever in a child often look like the symptoms of ordinary fever, so they are often not detected in time. Because it is important to know the signs of dengue fever in a child to give proper treatment immediately.

According to the book Friends with Fever by dr. Arifianto, Sp.A, and dr. Nurul I. Hariadi, FAPP (2017), there are at least three symptoms of dengue virus infection that parents should pay attention to. Let's get to know the symptoms:

1. The fever lasts at least 72 hours or three days and is not accompanied by a cough or runny nose.
2. The child look sick, weak, and refuses to eat or drink, putting him at risk of dehydration.
3. Sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, the appearance of small reddish spots in some parts of the body (peterkules).

Understand the Phases of Dengue Fever in Children

Dengue fever is divided into several phases, with symptoms varying in each phase. Knowing the phases of dengue fever in a child is very important to being able to provide appropriate care. As quoted from dr. Novidasari, Sp.PD, M.Sc on the Mitra Keluarga page, parents should understand the phase of dengue fever in children.

1. Phase 1: Febrile Phase

Generally, dengue fever will start with a high fever of up to 40 degrees Celsius, which usually lasts for 2–7 days. In this phase also accompanied by pain in the body, including muscles, bones, joints, throat, head, will also appear reddish spots on the skin during this phase. Typically, platelet counts will decline rapidly to less than 100,000 per microliter of blood, which occurs in a short period of time (2–3 days).

2. Phase 2: Critical Phase

The second phase is known as the most critical period to watch out for. In this phase, body temperature can drop below 38 degrees Celsius, so many people feel that they have recovered. In fact, in the critical phase, there can be bleeding and leakage of blood plasma. This phase occurs within 3-7 days of fever and will last for 24-48 hours. Parents are obliged to closely monitor the child's body fluids. The child should neither lack nor has excess fluid.

Signs that DHF has entered a critical phase are as follows:

• Stomach ache
• Vomiting constantly, even with just fluid
• A tendency to bleed, such as when blood appears in vomiting, even if it is only in the form of blood red stripes, or when bleeding from the nose or gums
• Easy bruising
• Black and sticky stools (like tarts)
• Breathing difficulties

3. Phase 3: Recovery Phase

After passing the critical period comes the recovery phase that will occur in the period 48-72 hours after the critical phase. During the recovery period of dengue fever in a child, the fluid that comes out of the blood vessels can re-enter the blood vessels. For this reason, parents are obliged to take care of the liquid so that it is not excessive.

First Aid for Dengue Fever in Children

After knowing the symptoms and phases of dengue fever in children, parents can immediately provide first aid to minimize any unwanted events. Here are some first-aid steps that parents should know:

• Know the phases of DHF (fever phase, critical phase, recovery phase)
• Make sure the child's fluid intake is enough so that they are not dehydrated according to their age
• If you have a fever, treat it with a full-body compress or take febrifuges as recommended by your doctor
• Give the child enough rest rest, avoiding him from various draining activities

Initial Steps to Prevent Dengue Fever in Children

Dengue fever is a dangerous disease. However, with proper initial preventive measures, the disease can be avoided. The following are some of the first steps to prevent dengue fever in children that you need to know.

• Diligently clean the house and look for puddles or various objects in the corner of the room that are piled up and rarely cleaned
• Put gauze wire on all the parts of the house's ventilation system to keep mosquitoes from getting in.
• Use a special mosquito repellent gel or oil cream for children when going to bed.
• Provide nutritious food intake and meet children's nutritional needs.

Do not let the child get medical treatment late when showing symptoms of dengue fever. Make sure your baby gets maximum medical care when experiencing dengue fever with Health Insurance from Mandiri AXA General Insurance (MAGI).

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Source: Tempo.co, Republika.co.id, Halodoc.com, yankes.kemenkes.go.id, mitrakeluarga.com, Kompas.com