All About Dengue Fever

Dengue fever is a serious illness that is spread by mosquitoes. It can have outbreaks and they are more common in certain parts of the world, where it is warmer throughout parts of Africa, Central and South American, India and Southern Asia. If you are traveling outside of the United States, you should be aware of any possible outbreaks and check with the state department’s website to see if there any precautions you need to take before traveling.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Dengue fever starts out as a fever that will last from two to seven days. You may also have joint pain, pain behind your eyes, as well as muscle or bone pain. There may be signs of easy bruising, bleeding gums or a bloody nose or petechiae (small pinprick bruises) and a possible rash. The real issues with the disease will happen after the fever drops. If you experience any of these symptoms, you need to go to the emergency room. There may be vomiting or severe abdominal pain, red spots, bleeding from the gums or nose, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, or clammy skin.

Treatment from Dengue Fever

There is no specific treatment for people with dengue fever. If you develop the complications, doctors will monitor you and try to treat symptoms. It is important to avoid taking ibuprofen or other medications that can make bleeding easier like aspirin. The best pain medication to take while fighting off dengue fever is acetaminophen. The key is to monitor the illness as it progresses so that you can seek emergency medical care if necessary.

Protecting Yourself from Dengue Fever

When traveling to parts of the world that are prone to dengue fever, you should protect yourself by wearing mosquito repellent. Be aware of any travel restrictions due to an active outbreak. If you a family member or friends ends up coming back to the United States with it, you should take precautions against being bitten to prevent a possible outbreak and to prevent the disease from spreading to your family member.

Controlling the Mosquito Population

It is important to take steps to control the mosquito population around the property. You can take the steps to do this by addressing standing water around your home. You can also have yard treatments done by Mosquito Tek that will eliminate adult mosquitoes and stop new ones from breeding. These steps can protect you and your family from a number of different mosquito-borne illnesses.

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4 Ways to Protect Your Children from Mosquitoes

[caption id="attachment_3084" align="alignright" width="300"] Image courtesy of John Tann via Flickr CC by 2.0[/caption]

Mosquitoes carry a number of serious illnesses that can affect your children including West Nile virus, and St. Louis encephalitis. Mosquito bites can also make your children itchy and uncomfortable. One of the best ways to avoid the complications that come with mosquito bites is to help your children to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes completely.
Dress Your Children to Protect Them
Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, so you should dress your children in light colored clothes. Loose fitting clothing with long sleeves and pants can reduce the number of mosquito bites that your children receive. There is the option to treat the clothing with an insect repellent or to buy clothing that is already treated. This option is good if you know you are going into an area that is heavily populated with mosquitoes like on a camping trip, but it m…

A Guide to Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have been plaguing people throughout all known time. Not only do they cause itchy bites that can be annoying, there are responsible for spreading a number of serious illnesses. The threat is so serious and ongoing that most communities and countries have extensive mosquito control programs which help to combat the outbreaks. There are still outbreaks each year in countries across the world of illnesses like Yellow fever and dengue fever. In order to combat mosquitoes, it is important to understand mosquitoes.

The Life Cycle of Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. After the eggs hatch, the mosquitoes are larvae and they spend time in the water until they become pupae and then hatch from that stage. At this point, the mosquitoes are adults and will begin flying around. The male mosquitoes feed on nectar, while the female mosquitoes need a blood meal so that they lay their eggs. Mosquitoes can lay up to two hundred eggs at a time.

Prevent Mosquitoes
Once you underst…

Commonly Asked Mosquito Questions

Mosquito season is just around the corner. The spring and summer months are the times when mosquitoes are most active. While mosquito bites can be annoying, the real issue is that mosquitoes can spread a number of serious illnesses. Here are some commonly asked questions about mosquitoes.

Is It Safe for My Baby to Wear Mosquito Repellent?
Babies as young as two months old can safely wear mosquito repellent. You will want to check with your physician to learn the kind that is best for your baby, and what concentration of DEET that is safe to use on someone that size. You may want to avoid taking your baby outside during peak mosquito times. You can also use mosquito netting around your baby as an extra protection.

What Types of Illnesses Can Mosquitoes Spread?
There are a number of different illnesses that mosquitoes can spread. In the United States some of the most common illnesses include the West Nile virus and St. Louise encephalitis. Around the world there are more serious illness…

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