Dengue Fever: symptoms, precautions and treatment

Dengue:

Dengue is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus and transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito.The virus has four different types; infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. Subsequent infection with a different type increases the risk of severe complications. As there is no commercially available vaccine.

Symptoms:

• UNABATED FEVER is the most prominent symptom (up to 105oF). 
• Fever may also be accompanied with SHIVERING / BODY ACHE / ACHE IN THE EYES. 
• Severe joint and muscular pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain
• Appearance of RASHES ON THE BODY is a definitive symptom. The rash may appear over most of the body 3 to 4 days after the fever begins, and then subsides after 1 to 2 days. You may get a second rash a few days later.

However it must be noted that these symptoms MAY OR MAYNOT MANIFEST TILL VERY LATE. The MOST RELIABLE symptom is A FALL IN THE PLATELET COUNT.

CAUSE & EFFECT OF THE DISEASE:

The fever is caused by a mosquito bite. The Mosquito acts as a carrier of the Dengue Virus.The virus's main affect is on the PLATELET production. Normally the platelets in our body lasts for about 4 days and the body replenishes them when required. This virus DESTROYS THE BODY's CAPACITY TO PRODUCE NEW PLATELET's (during the period it is effective). The PLATELET count for a normal person varies from 1.5 Lakh - 2.5 Lakh per unit volume. On getting infected the patients PLATELET COUNT STARTS FALLING. A PLATELET count BELOW 1.O Lakh /volume is ALARMING - immediate medical attention is required. A PLATELET count BELOW 50K is FATAL.

Note : A fall in platelet count PREVENTS FORMATION OF CLOTS - and this leads to HAEMORRAGE - which results into both INTERNAL & EXTERNAL BLEEDING - once bleeding starts the situation is almost IRRECOVERABLE.

Treatment:

Because dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific treatment for it; treatment of dengue is typically concerned only with the relief of symptoms. People who show the symptoms mentioned above should immediately consult a physician. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, stay hydrated, and get as much rest as possible.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)

DHF is a more severe form of dengue and can be fatal if untreated. It tends to affect children under the age of ten, and causes abdominal pain, hemorrhage (bleeding), and circulatory collapse (shock).

Do's and Don'ts

• Seek doctor's advice in time
• Sponge your body with tepid water several times a day to lower the temperature
• Drinking a lot of fluids will help loosen mucus and to prevent dehydration. Drink water little by little for optimum benefit. Additionally, take clear soups, fruits juices or warm water often
• Take anti-pyretic drug like paracetamol until temperature returns to normal
• Do not take Antibiotics unless prescribed by a registered physician
• Do not take aspirin in dengue as it may cause more harm than benefit

A Govt. guidelines for Do's and Don'ts for managing Dengue Fever 

Prevention:

There is no vaccine to prevent dengue. Prevention of dengue requires eradication of the mosquitoes that carry this virus. This means high standards of hygiene and sanitation. Avoid areas littered with garbage. All containers of stationary water (like drums or buckets) should be covered or discarded, including flower vases and pets' feeding bowls. If your area is infested with mosquitoes, wear long sleeves, use mosquito repellents and fumigate if necessary.

General Prevent ions:

* Remove all sources of stagnant water

* Deny the Aedes mosquito a chance to breed

Common breeding grounds

* Flower vases and pot plates

* Pails, water-storage jars, basins

* Discarded receptacles

* Choked roof gutters

* Gully traps

* Unused toilet bowls and cisterns

* AC tray and dish rack tray

* Concrete drains

* Hardened soil of potted plants

* Tree holes

Five easy ways to prevent breeding

* Change water in vases/bowls every other day

* Add sand granular insecticide

* Remove water from flower pot plates every other day

* Clear blockages and put insecticide in roof gutters at least once a month

How to prevent mosquitoes bites

* Wear shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeved

shirt

* Use mosquito repellents

* Mosquito coils

* Mosquito nets

Do you know...

• Only the female mosquito feeds on blood. This is because they need the protein found in blood to produce eggs. Male mosquitoes feed only on plant nectar.
• The mosquito is attracted to us by body odour, carbon dioxide and body heat.
• The female Aedes mosquito is a day-biter, most active in dawn and dusk.

HOME REMEDIES:

Dengue goes fatal when PLATELET count goes BELOW 50K. This is a very serious situation. And without taking any more risk, doctor is starts blood transfusion.

There is some ways that will help prevent platelet count from dropping:

1. Take a lot of vitamin C supplements. You can obtain vitamin C from fruits and vegetables. Because vitamin C is water soluble, it can be easily absorbed by the body and will immediately help in restoring the body’s platelet count.
2. Herbal medications are also helpful in restoring platelet count. Pound the herb with pestle and mortar to extract the juice. Although the juice is very bitter and requires a lot of effort downing them, it is worth it. Most people even add sugar to the juice to make it more palatable and easy to drink.
3. However, the most common home remedy is to drink the bitter extract from a papaya leaf. Two leaves without the stalk can yield approximately two tablespoons of the extract. 

PAPPAYA LEAF TO CURE DENGU 

 It's believed one's body would be overheated when one is down with dengue and that also caused the patient to have fever papaya juice has cooling effect. Thus, it helps to reduce the level of heat in one's body, thus the fever will go away. I found that it's also good when one is having sore throat or suffering from heat.

DENGU DIAGNOSIS:

Clinical tests

1. CVC
2. NS1 Antigen & differential detection of IgM & IgG Antibodies.

Do you know,Big Firms mislabel food products on trans-fat?

An easy snacks

First: What is Trans-fat and what is its effect on our body?
Trans-fat-
Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer (E-isomer) fatty acid(s). Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated. Trans fats are rare in living nature, but can occur in food production processes.

Effects-
Trans-fats clog arteries when they get deposited on the walls of the arteries making the passage narrower, while large amounts of salt leads to increase in blood pressure making the heart work overtime.

What is the standard norm?
The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and the World Health Organization  (WHO) prescribe benchmarks of how much salt, sugar, carbohydrates and fats every individual can have on a daily basis to stay healthy.The NIN benchmark for maximum salt for one person is 6 gram, while the WHO puts it at 5 gram. The WHO says that in a balanced diet, a maximum of 1 per cent of total energy should come from trans fats. Therefore, an adult male can have 2.6 gram of trans fats per day, while an adult female can have 2.1 gram and a child (10-12 years) can have 2.3 gram.

What is the reality?
Delhi-based NGO, Centre for Science and Environment, has alleged that leading food manufacturers are guilty of "large scale misbranding and misinformation" by showing that their food contained zero trans-fats even though tests showed that they have heavy doses of it.
CSE found that Top Ramen Super Noodles (Masala) which claims to have no trans-fats actually contains 0.7 gram of it per 100 gram. No trans fats, Haldiram's Aloo Bhujia has found 2.5 gram per 100 gram. PepsiCo's Lays (Snack Smart) was sold through advertisements that these chips are healthy because they have zero trans fats, but every 100 grams of it has 3.7 grams of trans fats.If a child takes one MacDonald's Happy Meals that filles up 90% of all his daily requirement of trans fats. The packet of Happy Meal makes absolutely no mention of this massive dosage of trans fats. As per FSSAI rules, a product can claim to be trans fats free if it contains less than 0.2 gm of trans fats per serving but CSE found several brands flouting the norm and yet calling themselves trans fat free.

As per CSE report
Maggi Noodles |Single pack contains 3.5g of salt; daily recommended intake is 6g. Negligible fibres ; 70% just carbohydrates
Top Ramen Super Noodles (Masala) |0.7g trans fats/100g though company claims zero trans fats
PepsiCo's Lays (Snack Smart) |3.7g trans fats/ 100g. Earlier sold as zero trans fats chips but claim knocked off later
KFC's Chicken Zinger |16.9% fats; McAloo | 8.3% fats. 35% calories in veg burger come from fats; 47% in non-veg

Source from "Times of India" 

Notice to consumers who used to and food adulterating/ contaminating practicener

The presence of any foreign substance, which does not occur naturally in food products, can be injurious to health, chemical additives like oxytocin, formalin, urea and detergents can especially cause considerable damage to human body over a period of time and lead to cancer, skin diseases and other debilitating disorders. 

For instance, for vegetables coated with wax or paraffin, the FDA advises dipping them in lukewarm water for 10 minutes. Wax, if present, will rise to the surface. Similarly, scratching the surface of vegetables can detect the presence of artificial colour, while an insect, failing to sit on the surface of vegetables for prolonged periods indicates the exposure of vegetables to pesticides. In the case of fruits, milk, milk products and other daily consumables, the FDA has issued similar advisories, and has also requested people to report any adulteration of food or medicines to officials from the department.

The Moral of and food adulterating/contaminating practicener

They won’t able to think about their own family & children are facing the same cause from which they selling to others. You won’t bring back your family and others health. Won’t play with the others health, all is not money.

Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

INTRODUCTION

       Food is one of the basic necessities for sustenance of life. Pure, fresh and healthy diet is most essential for the health of the people. It is no wonder to say that community health is national wealth.

       Adulteration of food-stuffs was so rampant, widespread and persistent that nothing short of a somewhat drastic remedy in the form of a comprehensive legislation became the need of the hour. To check this kind of anti-social evil a concerted and determined onslaught was launched by the Government by introduction of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill in the Parliament to herald an era of much needed hope and relief for the consumers at large.

Govt. Institutions for sample testing

Food Research & Standardisation Laboratory,  Ghaziabad

Food Research and Standardisation Laboratory, Ghaziabad was established in 1971 under Directorate General of Health Services / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to check the adulteration and to undertake analysis of food samples from market for the purpose of determining their quality and purity.

Central Food Laboratory,  Kolkata

Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata was established in 1955 under Directorate General of Health Services, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi, vide letter no. PFA/Sec 4/F.11-4/55-D) (I) dated. 1st June, 1995 spare of ministry of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi to undertake analysis of food samples from trying courts from all over the country and from market to determine the quality and purity of the food to lay down standards for food Articles.The office building is situated at 3, KYD Street, Kolkata-700016.

The punishments under the law

The provisions of sub-section (1A) if any person—whether by himself or by any other person on his behalf, imports into India or manufactures for sales or stores, sells or distributes any article of food—

 Which is adulterated within the meaning of sub-clause (the quality or purity of the article falls below the prescribed standard) or misbranded within the meaning that section or the sale of which is prohibited under any provision of this Act or any rule made there under or by an order of the Food (Health) Authority?

  He should be punished by a sentence of imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months and with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees.

  The higher punishment under this law shall be the imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three years but which may extend to term of life and with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees.

To know more Visit:CLICK HERE

     The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), passed by Parliament in 2006, replaced the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFAA) with effect from August 5, 2011. This means that all traders should obtain the new licence by August 4, 2012 failing which they will attract a six-month imprisonment along with a hefty penalty.

A harmful introduction of Calcium Carbide in our life

Poisonous Fruit 

 I bet you’ve not known the real taste of any fruit in a long, long time. For, knowingly or unknowingly, you have been buying fruits that are either harmful or lack taste and nutritional value. In India, we are habitual to consume toxic fruits which are ripened by a hazardous chemical, like Calcium Carbide. 

   This poses great health risks to consumers.Calcium carbide has cancer-causing properties and is capable of causing neurological disorders. It can result in tingling sensation, numbness and peripheral neuropathy. If pregnant women consume fruit ripened with carbide, the children born could develop abnormalities. 

   The use of calcium carbide is not only toxic to consumers, it may also be harmful to those who handle it. It affects the neurological system, resulting in headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, sleepiness, mental confusion and seizures on a short-term basis, while in the long-term it can cause memory loss and cerebral oedema. 

   The use of carbide gas from calcium carbide to ripen fruits is extremely hazardous to the human body as calcium carbide also contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus. The practice of ripening fruits using carbide is banned in INDIA but it is freely used.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First we should know, How do raw fruits become ripe when treated with chemicals(Calcium Carbide, etc)?

The process of fruit ripening is chiefly regulated by a gas ethylene. Most fruits have elevated ethylene levels during ripening. Ethylene regulates the activity of various enzymes involved in the process of ripening. These enzymes act to soften the `skin' of the fruit and also convert complex polysaccharides into simple sugars. The chemical commonly used to ripen fruits commercially is ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid), which penetrates into the fruit and decomposes to ethylene. Incidentally, chemicals (e.g. calcium carbide) that produce acetylene and carryover of toxic materials to consumers.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Growth Hormone

The new method to ripe fruit artificially

After some strict measures taken by "FDCA" An INDIAN Govt.  Org., fruit traders use new ripening chemicals to escape law.

Since the use of calcium carbide is banned, fruit traders are now using other ripening agents to avoid facing action. Traders sprinkle plant growth hormones like ethephon directly on unripe fruits to advance its ripening. They have resorted to chemicals like Bethylene. The INDIAN Govt. should amend rules and prohibit chemicals that alter nutritional value of fruits.

The law against only,Carbide

Right now, as per law, FDCA can only take action against those using carbides. FDCA cann't take any action against traders if they use other chemicals that alter not just a fruit’s natural taste but even its nutrition value.

    Though not considered harmful if used within permissible limits, the traders usually use excess amounts to ripen fruits faster, altering the taste and the nutritional value of the fruit besides reducing its shelf-life.

If you have images and messages regarding this please share.

Desi way to check Iron in Drinking water

Drinking Water

A very desi way to detect access Iron in Water. Eklavya Pd. working for Eklavya Center for science and Environment, has mentioned that this method advised by "Md. Murtaza" a rural person of Supoul Dist. of Bihar, India in 2007. International society "Serving In Mission" is also using this method in Bangladesh and other countries to detect Iron in water.
Follow these step to check the Iron in Water.

1. Fill half a transparent glass with water.
2. Mash four to five Guava leafs
3. Put this mashed leafs in the glass
4. And wait for mins

Result:- If water color is light violet, it has Iron presence. If water color is dark violet, it has access Iron residue. And if water color is green, it has a very less amount of Iron.
If you have any other method, please share with us.
Happy drinking water!

How to detect Synthetic Milk and Milk Adulteration?

A simple test for Water: Put a drop of milk on polished vertical surface. The drop of pure milk either stops or flows slowly leaving a white trail behind it. Whereas milk adulterated with water will flow immediately without leaving a mark.


A simple test for Urea: Take 5 ml of milk in a test tube and add 2 drops of bromothymol blue soln. Development of blue colour after 10 minutes indicates presence of urea.


Other Test 


1) Rosalic acid test (Soda Test)
2) Test for detection of formalin
3) Test for detection of ammonium sulphate
4) Test for detection of pulverized soap
5) Detection of vegetable fat in milk
6) Detection of buffalo milk in cow milk
--
--
--
 and More

Click here for these tests.

How to Test Food Adulteration?

Pure Ghee

1. Pure Ghee or Butter Adulteration

   

     Vanaspathi Detection:Take one teaspoonful of melted ghee or butter with equal quantity of Conc. Hydrochloric acid in a test tube and add to it a pinch of cane sugar. Shake well for one minute and let it stand for five minutes. Appearance of crimson colour in lower layer shows the presence of vanaspathi.