Dengue fever in children: Causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

Year after year, hundreds of thousands of dengue fever cases are reported in the Philippines with thousands of Filipinos—children and adults—dying from the disease. While dengue fever can be fatal to those who contact it, it can be treated. And as with any illness, awareness about dengue fever and what you can do about it can help in protecting your children from it. Here’s what you need to know:

Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a tropical, mosquito-borne disease that causes flu-like symptoms, rashes, and joint and muscle pain.

The four dengue viruses that cause dengue illness are transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

According to Healthline, once you have been exposed to one of the dengue viruses, you gain lifelong immunity to that particular virus. The other three viruses are still contagious; therefore, it is still possible to get all four dengue viruses in your lifetime. Yellow fever, West Nile virus infection, and dengue fever are all caused by the same viruses.

The bite of a mosquito carrying the dengue virus causes the transmission of dengue fever. There is no transmission from person to person. However, a pregnant woman with dengue can spread the illness to her unborn child.

Symptoms of dengue in children

Mommies and daddies, it is important to know the symptoms of dengue in children, so, in any case, if your child experiences any of the following symptoms, you can act immediately.

Signs and symptoms of dengue fever in children often appear 4 to 10 days after the initial infection. The symptoms will frequently be mild. They could be confused for flu or symptoms of other illnesses.

Dengue symptoms in infants and toddlers generally start with the following symptoms:

• Runny nose
• Cough
• Mild rashes on the skin
• High temperature

Signs and symptoms of dengue fever in children

In older kids, dengue symptoms include:

• A high fever of 106°F (41°C) – usually the first symptom that manifests; other symptoms usually appear after the fever goes down significantly
• Eye and joint aches
• Backaches and headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Skin rash, which appears three to four days after the onset of fever
• Bleeding nose and gums
• Susceptible to easy bruising

Dengue makes a person pale and weak, and this weakness may continue for some time after the illness as well.

Children who have not had dengue are more vulnerable. However, they usually end up with a milder form of the disease compared to adults.

Remember, though, that flu-like symptoms are possible indicators of other diseases as well, such as malaria, leptospirosis, typhoid fever, and other minor diseases; so these symptoms are not 100 percent indicative of dengue.

Severe dengue fever symptoms

According to Medical News Today, dengue fever instances that are severe range from 0.5 to 5 percent. This could endanger your child’s life if it occurs.

The temperature usually subsides to 99.5 to 100.4°F (37.5 to 38°C) in the beginning. Then, 24-48 hours later, or roughly 3–7 days after the person first feels ill, severe symptoms may start to manifest.

Other symptoms include:

• Vomiting blood
• Bleeding from the nose or gums
• Feeling irritable and restless
• Stomach ache
• Blood in the stool

Dengue fever: Early stage mild dengue rashes pictures baby

You may be wondering and looking for early stage mild dengue rashes pictures of baby to help you identify between allergy rashes and mild dengue rashes.

Here’s mild dengue rashes pictures baby:

2 to 5 days after the fever begins, a flat, red rash may develop over the majority of the body. A second rash that resembles measles develops later in the illness. People who are infected may have more sensitive skin and feel quite uncomfortable.

Dengue fever causes

The virus is carried by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito and cannot be directly transmitted from person to person. Instead, the transfer occurs when this mosquito bites a person who is already infected. Persons who are bitten by the same mosquito afterward may also get sick.

Risk Factors

• Living in a tropical country
• Not taking precautions such as not applying or using anti-mosquito products
• Playing in areas that house mosquito breeding sites such as items that contain stagnant water (uncovered water pails, unused cans or jars, car tires, flower vases)
• Staying in populated areas that are dirty: lined with garbage and containers that hold dirty water

Complications

• Severe cases of dengue include damage to the heart, lungs, and liver, as well as a dangerous drop in blood pressure that may lead to shock and, sometimes, death. 
• Having a history of contracting dengue increases the risk of suffering from severe dengue symptoms upon the succeeding contraction.

When to call the doctor

A mild case of dengue goes away after a week or two. If symptoms worsen a day or two after dengue symptoms go away, consult a doctor because a child may have a severe form of the fever called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Dengue fever tests and diagnosis

The pediatrician will examine your child for dengue symptoms and then require a blood test to determine if your child tests positive or negative for the disease.

According to Healthline, blood tests are used by doctors to look for dengue virus antibodies or illness. A physician might employ a serological or virological test.

In order to confirm a recent or ongoing illness, a serological test looks for antibodies in the blood.

On the other hand, a virus is immediately detected during a virological test. However, this kind of testing may not be offered in all medical facilities because it frequently needs specific tools and a team with technical training.

Treatments and Drugs

There is no cure for this viral illness. At best, relief from dengue symptoms can be provided to ease pain and discomfort. There is also no immunization against the fever.

Dengue has four strains: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. It is only after contracting one strain that a child builds immunity to it; however, he is not immune to the other three strains. In most cases, the subsequent infection and symptoms are much more severe than the first.

For mild dengue, recommended home treatments are to get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration from high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Acetaminophen can be taken to relieve pain and reduce fever. However, avoid anti-inflammatory medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen which may increase the risk of bleeding complications.

Use over-the-counter pain medicines to lower your fever, headache, and joint pain if you think you have dengue.

You should take some time to relax and hydrate well before your doctor does a physical examination. Once your fever has subsided and you are feeling worse than you did during the first 24 hours of your sickness, you should be taken to the hospital as soon as you can to be checked for any problems or complications.

For severe dengue, hospitalization is necessary to monitor blood pressure, administer intravenous fluids, replace electrolytes and receive a blood transfusion if necessary.

Again, dengue fever has no known treatment. However, early detection and intervention can aid in managing symptoms and averting fatalities. That is why it is important to consult your doctor immediately if you notice any signs of dengue fever in your child.

Prevention

Eliminate mosquito breeding sites

• Clean out any surfaces that collect stagnant water. There could be mosquitos breeding in indoor bamboo plants, the area under the air-conditioning vents, the dog’s water bowl, or even discarded tires outside the house
• Keep your house clean, dry and hygienic
• Throw away wet garbage such as vegetable stalks, fruits peels, etc., regularly
• Clean out any flower pots and throw out dead plants

Repel mosquitos 

• Dress your child in long-sleeved clothing and trousers to reduce exposed skin
• Make him wear light-colored clothes as mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors
• Use Citronella oil-based creams and sprays or other herbal mosquito repellents. Avoid using such on a baby’s delicate skin unless your pediatrician advises it
• Experiment with placing mosquito-repellent plants around the house. However, one must ensure that the water drains out well
• Use mosquito nets while sleeping
• If you do not already have them, install mosquito meshes on windows. Make sure these are free of holes

Stay indoors when mosquitos are most active

• Limit the number of time children spent outside during the day, especially in the hours around dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active
• Air conditioning also helps keeps mosquitoes at bay

Additional information written by Jobelle Macayan

Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advise or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible to those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend to consult your doctor for clearer information.