The dangers of dengue
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This nasty disease is carried by surprisingly determined creatures
BY NOW, almost everyone in Thailand knows about dengue fever, especially after actor Tridsadee “Por” Sahawong recently warned publicly about the dangers of this terrible disease.
Por himself was and is suffering from a particularly nasty case. When his dengue fever progressed to dengue haemorrhagic fever, he needed four surgeries, including the amputation of a foot.
I haven’t met anyone who has had such an extreme case, but I do know how common dengue fever seems to have become in Thailand.
At one time, Thai friends tell me, dengue fever affected mainly babies. People, in fact, considered it a childhood disease. Now, people of all ages are suffering from it.
It’s a viral disease carried by mosquitoes who’ve picked up the virus by drinking the blood of people already infected. Luckily, it cannot be transmitted from person to person – unless you’re donating blood and you’re already infected.
Because there is no cure and no vaccine, people suffering from the disease are treated symptom by symptom, with doctors trying to ensure that the patient’s body is properly hydrated.
Without treatment, or in Por’s case, even with treatment, the infection progresses to a point where the body’s smallest capillaries become too thin to retain blood. The body begins to bleed internally, and sometimes from the gums and skin.
In the first days after a mosquito infects you, you may not even know that you have dengue. A friend of mine thought she was suffering from a very bad flu with painful muscles and bones and a bad headache.
At the hospital, doctors thought she had flu too, but finally on the fourth day, they realised what she had.
When she returned home (her case was somewhat mild), she went throughout her house, checking where mosquitoes could have been breeding. Then she looked at her garden. In the end, she pulled up all the beautiful trees that lined her house.
In addition to containers of water, trees and shrubs are also home to mosquitoes.
Why are cases of dengue fever rising, especially in urban areas? I’m no scientist, but I suspect that all the high-rises, the condominiums, office tower and other towering buildings have changed the environment in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.
Just walk along Asoke Road and enjoy the wind tunnel, which has been caused by all the tall buildings blocking the natural passage of air.
Mosquitoes are no fools. They know how to take advantage of quiet places behind the wind tunnels.
In my little house, though, I have tubs of water all over the place for the turtles. The shell-guys do come out for a mosquito feast every evening, and I also put air-stones in each tub to circulate the water and discourage mosquitoes.
I thought I was safe, until Ouan, the young man who helps me clean the tubs, came down with – yes – dengue fever. Although not as bad as Por’s, Ouan’s case was bad. It took doctors over a week to bring down his 40-degree fever, and another few days before he could go home to recuperate.
During this time, I have had to clean the tubs by myself. To my dismay, even with all my care, mosquitoes are flapping around the tubs every morning. My goodness, they’re determined insects!
Ouan’s health continues to improve. He thought he was well enough to return to work after only two weeks, but with one day at work, he relapsed. Another nasty effect of dengue is that you feel well before you’re actually well.
In another side effect, Ouan has lost four kilos from the illness. Since he was a bit chubby, the weight loss looks good on him. Now, unfortunately, he’s not eating much, not because he’s sick but because he doesn’t want to gain the weight back.
Danger hides everywhere.
