The Hindu : New Delhi News : Do's and don'ts for dengue patients

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Friday, Sep 29, 2006
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Do's and don'ts for dengue patients

Staff Reporter

`No medicine should be taken without consulting a doctor'

NEW DELHI: Heart Care Foundation of India president and chairman-elect of the Indian Medical Association, Dr. K. K. Aggarwal, has come out with a list of do's and don'ts for patients afflicted with dengue and chikungunya.

Dr. Aggarwal said no medicine for these fevers should be taken without consulting a doctor. He added that a person getting a sudden fever with pain in the eyes, joints and the rest of the body should treat the fever as a case of chikungunya or dengue.

"Taking any medicine usually taken for fever may reduce platelet counts which can be more dangerous for the affected patient as he has already suffered a loss of platelets," said Dr. Aggarwal. "Chikungunya is less dangerous than dengue as it remains limited to the person infected, but it should not be taken lightly and a doctor should be consulted immediately at the first signs of the symptoms," he added.

"During such fevers, the fluid intake should also be increased up to anywhere between four and six litres a day."

The mosquitoes causing dengue or chikungunya bite on the arm below the elbow and in the leg below the knee. These mosquitoes bite up to three times in one day and only during the day.

"In case anyone is infected by any of these fevers," he said, "the Municipal Corporation should be contacted and anti-mosquito drive initiated in at least 50 houses around the patient's home."

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