Rain, is undeniably a blessing from God for us and also the creatures on earth. Even though this is a blessing that many people and many other creatures of God have been waiting for, but when the rainy season comes we need to be more alert. The reason is, rain sometimes can cause disaster or increase the risk of disease. Like floods to dengue fever, for example.
But here I will not discuss about flooding but rather, dengue that needs to be watched out for. Both by ourselves as adults and by family members, especially children. Why?
Unlike adults who are more understanding and more able to protect themselves and take precautions, children tend not to care about anything that could potentially cause them pain or endanger their lives. This is where our role as parents is required to actively protect them from the various dangers that lurk, especially the danger of dengue fever in the rainy season. There have been many experiences that require me to be aware of DHF in the rainy season.
Starting from the experience when he was in Kalimantan first. Where, our neighbors' children who are still under five had to be let go because they were late in getting treatment due to dengue fever. So, the experience with his own family, where his parents (Bapak) have also been hospitalized for weeks due to a disease carried by the aides aegypti mosquito.
So, Moms, to be aware of this disease, we need to do a number of things that can prevent or at least reduce the reproduction of the female mosquito Aedes aegypti, which carries the dengue virus. The trick is to understand the cycle of transmission and must provide drugs that can be used to relieve symptoms, such as Termorex for example.
Beware of dengue fever in the rainy season and know how it is transmitted
Recognizing the mode of transmission of the dengue virus by mosquitoes is the best way to prevent the virus from infecting humans, especially family members. In order to be aware of and prevent children from getting dengue fever, here is a brief review of the cycle of dengue fever transmission that you should know.
1. Causes of dengue fever
The female Aedes aegypti mosquito is the one to watch out for. Because, only female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry the dengue virus and suck blood. Why? Female mosquitoes need blood to ripen (produce) eggs. Get to know the characteristics of the DHF mosquito called Aedes aegypti so you can increase your alertness. The characteristics include:
His body is striped (black and white)
Small body size
Can roam as far as 400 meters
Loves to be in clean puddles
Active prey in the morning and evening. Namely, 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset
2. Where do female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes get the dengue virus?
The dengue virus will enter the body of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes along with human blood that has been infected with the virus. By sucking the blood of a person with dengue fever, the virus will automatically enter and infect the female mosquito's body.
Once inside the mosquito's body, the virus will infect the mosquito's middle stomach, then spread to the salivary glands. If within 8-12 days the mosquito that has been infected with the dengue virus bites another healthy person, the virus contained in the mosquito will be transmitted through the mosquito's salivary glands to the healthy person.
So, if a neighbor is diagnosed with dengue fever, then your alertness needs to be increased. Keep reading this article until it's finished so you can find out how to prevent your child or family member from contracting DHF.
3. Dengue cycle
The cycle of dengue fever transmission generally goes through four stages, namely:
Mosquitoes breed in standing water
After adult female mosquitoes will bite humans who have been infected with the dengue virus
The virus will infect the mosquito, then the mosquito will bite other people and transmit the virus it carries
The mosquitoes that have received the blood will ripen their eggs to maturity and breed in puddles
Where do the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed?
Female mosquitoes breed in clean, clean standing water, not running water or dirty, cloudy water. Because of that, we need to be aware of puddles that usually appear a lot in the rainy season. For example in trenches, objects that can hold water, to water reservoirs at home such as bathtubs and reservoirs. Before the rainy season arrives, try to take the time to clean and smooth the gutters. If possible, carry out mutual cooperation activities with neighbors or villagers.
Water reservoirs at home should be regularly drained and cleaned twice a week or at least once a week. So that mosquito breeding does not occur in water reservoirs, you can close the barrel until the reservoir is tight or use ABT medicine.
In addition, keeping fish in flooded places like ponds to gutters is the best way to get rid of larvae naturally. All objects that have the potential to hold water should be buried if not needed, or stored in a warehouse if they are still needed.
Solutions to prevent the transmission of dengue fever to children and families
So that children are not easily infected with dengue fever, we need to take precautions. It can be in the following ways.
1. Mosquitoes are usually active in hunting between 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. At this time, prevent the children from playing in the garden. Or, if they still want to play outside, protect their bodies using:
Mosquito repellent
By wearing closed clothes
Wear clothes on children because brightly colored clothes are usually avoided by mosquitoes. In contrast, mosquitoes like and tend to be attracted to people who are dressed in black or dark colors
2. Apply 3M, namely:
Routinely drain water reservoirs such as bathtubs, barrels, jars, or open reservoirs
Closing water reservoirs
Bury any unused items that have the potential to collect water
3. Do not use floral fragrances as they can attract mosquitoes
Plant plants that can repel insects and mosquitoes such as lemongrass, lavender, rosemary, basil, kecombrang, to papermint
4. Do not get in the habit of hanging dirty clothes behind the door. Whenever possible, hang clothes in a closed closet if they are clean. If the clothes are dirty, it's best to place them in a basket or a closed container and avoid hanging them behind doors or beside closets. Because places that are humid and warm are often used as nests by mosquitoes
5. Paint the house using light colors. A house that is painted dark is more preferred by mosquitoes as a place to live than a house that is painted a bright color, such as yellow or white
Always provide fever-reducing drugs such as Termorex
Termorex is an example of fever medicine which should always be available at home, especially in the rainy season. This fever-reducing medicine for children will be very helpful if we cannot immediately take the child to the hospital or to the doctor for examination and treatment.
Why do we need to provide fever medicine?
Fever is one of the symptoms of DHF. Mild fever without certain symptoms or high fever up to 400 Celsius should still be watched out because it could be caused by dengue fever. Apart from fever, here are some other symptoms of dengue fever.
Dizziness or headache
Pain throughout the body, especially bones and muscles and joints. These symptoms will usually appear between 4 - 7 days after being bitten by an Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with the dengue virus
Nausea and vomiting
Some children may experience symptoms of a rash or red spots on the skin, which can be found all over the body. These symptoms usually appear after being bitten between 3-4 days and will reduce after 1-2 days later
Bleeding on the gums or bruising, purplish in color
Nosebleeds or bleeding in the nose
Blood pressure dropped dramatically
Whenever your child has symptoms of dengue fever, make sure you immediately take him to the nearest hospital for examination and so that they get proper treatment. If the fever occurs at night and does not allow you to take it to the nearest hospital or health care center, make sure you try to reduce the child's fever by using drugs such as Termorex or drugs containing paracetamol.
Condition the house so that it can be a good place to rest for the child. Besides being given fever medicine, children can also be compressed to reduce their body heat. Apart from providing fever-reducing drugs (such as Termorex for example), I also highly recommend that mothers want to provide a (digital) thermometer at home.
If possible, buy a good thermometer, one that can give you a quick temperature reading. Although they are a bit expensive compared to lower quality thermometers, the speed at which they produce results will be very helpful. Moreover, if the child is fussy. Based on experience, the thermometer really helps me in monitoring the child's body temperature and can also give me a feeling of calm. Why?
When a child has a fever, we must always control his body temperature. Armed with a thermometer, we can tell if their body temperature is too high. If the child's body temperature is near the maximum limit (400 C). We must immediately give them Termorex or PE medicine
When a child has a fever, we must always control his body temperature. Armed with a thermometer, we can tell if their body temperature is too high. If the child's body temperature is near the maximum limit (400 C). We must immediately give them Termorex or other fever-reducing medicine.
A thermometer can also be used to determine a child's body temperature drop. Knowing that your baby's body temperature has dropped can give us a feeling of calm. That way, anxiety that makes it difficult for us to rest can be eliminated. We really need to remember, when a child is sick, we as parents often feel very worried, so we don't get enough rest and fall sick.
Increase knowledge about DHF
To make it easier to anticipate and prevent unwanted things due to dengue fever, mothers need to read a lot and increase knowledge about how to prevent dengue fever and how to treat it.
