Getting To Know DHF: Causes, Symptoms, And How To Prevent It

Mosquitoes are the cause of dengue fever (Photo: Freepik/jcomp)

JAKARTA - Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a disease caused by the dengue virus and is transmitted through the bite of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. This disease is common in tropical and subtropic areas, including Indonesia. If not treated quickly, dengue can cause serious complications to death.

Symptoms Of DHF

Reporting from the Mayo Clinic page, many people are infected with the dengue virus without experiencing symptoms. If it appears, the symptoms often resemble the flu and develop within 410 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

Common symptoms include high fever of up to 40 degrees C, severe headache, muscle pain, bones, and joints, nausea and vomiting, pain behind the eyes, swelling of lymph nodes, and rashes on the skin.

Most sufferers will recover within one week. However, in some cases, symptoms can worsen and develop into severe dengue which is at risk of causing serious bleeding, shock, and death.

Severe signs of dengue that need to be watched out for include severe stomach pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding from the gum or nose, blood in pain, urine or vomiting, bruises or bleeding under the skin, difficulty breathing or fast breathing, to extreme fatigue and irritability.

If these symptoms appear after the fever begins to subside, immediately seek medical help because these conditions can worsen quickly.

Causes of dengue fever

The dengue virus is caused by four types of DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. This virus is not transmitted from person to person, but is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

The transmission process is that mosquitoes bite someone who is already infected with the dengue virus. Then, the virus enters the mosquito's body and reproduces. Next, the infected mosquito then bites other people and transmits the dengue virus into his blood.

If a person has been exposed to dengue fever, he will have immunity against one type of virus, but can still be infected by three other types of viruses. Reinfection increases the risk of developing more severe dengue.

DHF Risk Factor

Several factors that increase the risk of being exposed to dengue include staying or traveling to the tropics. Regions such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Western Pacific have a high level of dengue infection.

Then, have been infected with the dengue virus before. Reinfection by different types of dengue virus can cause more severe symptoms.

DHF Complication

Severe dengue fever can cause serious complications, such as bleeding, namely leaky blood vessels can cause bleeding in the body.

Then, dengue shock, namely blood pressure dropped drastically, causing organ failure. Next, organ failure. If not treated immediately, severe dengue can cause organ failure which is fatal.

Finally, dengue can cause death. Without proper care, dengue can lead to death, especially in children and people with a weak immune system. In pregnant women, dengue can also cause premature birth, low birth weight, or other health problems.

DHF Prevention

Because there is no special drug for dengue fever, prevention is the best step. Here are some ways to prevent dengue fever:

1. Vaccination

The DHF vaccine is available to people who live in areas with high dengue cases and have been infected before. However, this vaccine is not yet the main prevention method.

2. Avoid Mosquito Bites

- Wear long sleeves, trousers, socks, and shoes.

- Use mosquito medicine that contains DEET or permethrin.

- Put a screen or sleep in an air-conditioned room.

3. Reduce Mosquito Population

- Draining and cleaning water reservoirs such as baths, buckets, and flower pots at least once a week.

- Closing the water container so that mosquitoes do not lay eggs.

- Recycle used goods that can hold water, such as used tires and plastic bottles.