Severe dengue fever is a life-threatening illness followed by a potentially lethal complication within a few hours. It is an infectious disease and spreads through the mosquito’s bite during the day or night time. Each year, the dengue virus infects around 400 million people worldwide. There is no specific medicine to treat dengue fever nor any vaccine in the USA to prevent someone from getting infected.
Therefore, you and your family need to know how to protect each other from the dengue virus.
Long Sleeves Clothing
Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts will protect your family from mosquito bites. The clothing will limit their access to your skin when you go outside. In addition, you can reduce the usage of insect repellent on your skin. It is better for you and your family’s long-term health. Besides, long-sleeved clothing is the most effective protection for a baby under three years old as insect repellent might irritate their skin. Bear in mind that a baby’s or child’s skin is more sensitive than an adult’s.
Personal Insect Repellent
On some occasions, wearing a long-sleeved shirt or long pants can be uncomfortable. To protect your exposed skin, apply insect repellent after your sun-screen. You have to follow the directions from the product level for safety. When putting on the insect repellent to your children, spray it to your palms before applying them to your children’s skin. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends using EPA-registered insect repellent to ensure the product’s effectiveness.
Screens and Mosquito Netting
If you live in a region with severe mosquito issues, it is necessary to use screens and mosquito netting. Applying screens on widows will prevent the insect from entering your house, while mosquito netting around your bed will protect you and your children when it’s bedtime.
Just in case the mosquito problems still occur even after fixing the broken screens, perhaps, they are already breeding inside your house. Reach out to pest control service professionals to conduct a thorough inspection of your home. They will eliminate the mosquito’s breeding sites and apply a low toxicity pesticide to prevent them from coming back.
Water Storage Containers
Mosquitoes breed in a place with stagnant water. It includes an abandoned toy, birdbaths, uncapped fence posts, tree stumps, and anywhere else that accommodates water. To prevent the mosquitoes from breeding around your house, you have to educate your children. Let them know the danger of leaving the water storage container uncapped. Ask them to help you in emptying and cleaning the water storage containers at least once a week. Let them know where they should keep their old toys. If your children no longer play with their toys, donate their toys to someone else.
Take any possible measures to prevent mosquitoes from breeding near your house by environmental management and modification. Apply insecticides according to the instruction. An appropriate amount of insecticides will not endanger your family and your pets.
Healthy Lifestyle
Preventive actions only lower the possibility of the dengue virus infecting your family. Thus, you still have to prepare them for the worse scenario.
One of four infected people will get sick and exhibit symptoms that can be mild or severe. It is because three of them have an adequate immune system to fight the virus. Hence, preventing them from experiencing dengue fever. Due to the immune’s importance in protecting your family, it is necessary to implement a healthy lifestyle.
You can start by asking your children to eat fresh vegetables and fruits. A fruit that is rich in vitamin C will boost their immune system. Conduct regular exercises with your family while educating them on why physical activities can make them healthier. Afterward, ensure that they have enough sleep at night. It is also essential for you to teach your children to maintain a hygienic lifestyle, such as throw away the garbage and clean their room every day.
Educate your family about the danger of dengue fever. Nowadays, when the COVID-19 pandemic occupies the hospital, you have to take extra measures to prevent your family from getting sick. Leave no available space for the mosquitoes to breed inside your house. Tell your children to wear a long-sleeved shirt or insect repellent whenever they go out. Contact a pest control service when the mosquitoes are overwhelming. Another important protective measure is to maintain a healthy lifestyle in your family.
If your family member exhibits mild symptoms of dengue fever, you can treat them in your house. Prevent them from experiencing dehydration and give them paracetamol. Do not let them consume aspirin or ibuprofen as it will make them worse. Reach out to the medical team when they exhibit severe symptoms of dengue fever.
