The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases continuously records cases of dengue fever with many different pathologies.
Patient L.T. T (49 years old, Hanoi) had a high fever of 39°C, headache, body aches and fatigue after a 4-day business trip to Ho Chi Minh City. On the 3rd day of the disease, the patient was admitted to the hospital in a state of high fever, skin and mucous membranes congestion. Tests showed that platelets decreased to 45 G/L.
Doctors note that people who have just returned from areas with many dengue fever cases, if fever appears, need to proactively monitor and examine. However, the disease can also occur in people who do not travel far.
In another case, patient P.T. H (37 years old, Hanoi) initially had a fever and headache, so she thought she had a common cold and bought fever-reducing medicine to drink. However, the condition did not improve. In the afternoon, the patient had a fever above 38°C, severe headache, fatigue and bleeding gums. On the 2nd day of the disease, the patient came to the hospital and was diagnosed with Dengue hemorrhagic fever.
According to doctors, the first days of dengue fever are very easy to confuse with common viral infections due to symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, fatigue; some cases may have coughs or sore throats.
Another notable case is patient N.T. M (58 years old, Hanoi), who is being treated with rectal cancer chemotherapy. The patient went to her daughter's house about 500 m away, where there were previously 3 people with dengue fever.
After that, the patient develops a high fever of 39–40°C, sore throat, cough with phlegm and congestion in the skin. Due to cancer treatment, dengue fever monitoring and treatment are more complicated.
Fortunately, the patient was admitted to the hospital early. After 7 days of treatment, the patient's fever subsided, platelets gradually increased and the dangerous stage has passed.
BSCKII Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Head of Virus - Parasitology Department, said that buying medicine for treatment when you have a fever is a common mistake.
In particular, when dengue fever has not been ruled out, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should not be used arbitrarily because they can increase the risk of bleeding. The use of fever-reducing drugs needs to follow the instructions of medical staff.
When a sudden high fever occurs, especially accompanied by headache, body aches, severe fatigue, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, vomiting..., patients should go to a medical facility for examination and monitoring instructions.
To prevent dengue fever, people need to remove mosquito breeding grounds such as water-stained items, cover them tightly or turn over water containers when not in use; regularly clean the environment, clear bushes.
In addition, wear long-sleeved clothes, sleep under mosquito nets during the day and use appropriate mosquito control measures.
People can also discuss with doctors about dengue fever vaccines to be consulted according to their age and health condition.
Doctors recommend that you should not be subjective when you have a fever even if the initial symptoms are similar to flu. Early detection, timely examination and monitoring according to medical instructions are important ways to limit the risk of the disease progressing severely.
