Serious illnesses in children like dengue can be handled effectively with early intervention and right management. Have quick look at the signs and symptoms of dengue in children.
Dengue is one of the most common diseases caused by mosquitoes – the name of the culprit is
Aedes aegypti - which breed and swarm in wet and humid conditions and are most active during sunrise until sunset.
Dengue causes serious
fever and rash and may cause death. It is very important for you to protect your kids from being bitten by mosquitoes. Mostly your kids would fall ill within 10 days after getting bitten, but it is essential to observe the signs and symptoms on time before situation worsens.
Symptoms in Infants and Toddlers
The usual symptom of dengue in infants and toddlers is a
viral illness. Kids will have
cough and runny nose accompanied with a high fever or temperature. There will also be a mild skin rash. It is very difficult for kids of such age to explain you what is happening to them, so you need to be very cautious in observing any temperature rise in your kids. If you find anything suspicious, you must take your infant to the nearest doctor. If the symptom goes undetected, then the condition may be fatal.
Symptoms in Older Children
If your kids are older, and got bitten by
dengue mosquito, then the symptom will be usually a viral illness, very similar to that in infants and toddlers. They will have a high rise in temperature and feel feverish all the time. They will also have a runny nose along with cough. They will also feel pain in the joints and behind the eyes. They will also get headaches and backaches that can get worse due time if not treated.
Skin Rash Is a Vital Sign
Usual viral illness makes it difficult to decide whether it is due to dengue or a flu virus, which is why most of the time the symptoms of dengue go unnoticed. So the other important sign you should try to observe in your kids is the rash on their skin. Their skin will develop a white or red patchy skin rash. Dengue bites can cause rash to appear on all of the body of your kids excluding the rash. Watch out for your kids’ palms and bottom of the feet as rash can appear there too. The rash can be itchy.
Extreme Weakness
You will find your kids to complain all the time about weakness. Dengue causes a lot of exhaustion inside the body which makes the victim feel very lazy and tired. Your kids will feel extreme tired and thus weakness can be detected in them within few days after they get bitten. You may think that the weakness is because of the usual fever, but do not be mistaken like that, if your kids are feeling weak all of a sudden accompanied with a fever, consider it seriously and rush to a doctor.
Other Signs and Symptoms of Dengue
All of a sudden, your kids will not feel like eating. They will suffer from a sudden loss of appetite. Also, they would feel nausea and vomiting. You may think that this is because of digestive issues in your kids, because these symptoms do not stay for longer. They appear and go off in a few days of illness, which makes it difficult to detect dengue on time. Therefore, you need to screen your kids all the time.
It is always recommended to keep your house and surroundings clean, hygiene, and mosquito-proof. There are many methods to keep mosquitoes at bay and protect your kids from a high risk of getting infected from dengue mosquitoes. But if situation gets worse, you must keep a doctor’s number handy so that you do not lose any time after you detect any potential sign and symptom of dengue in your kids.
How to identify the signs of dengue in children? What are the ways to prevent dengue in children? How to keep dengue mosquitoes away from children? Discuss here.
