In tropical countries like Singapore, people often watch out for any updates on the fight against dengue. Those who reside in tropical countries usually follow dengue prevention diligently. Recently, experts named preventive medication that proved to control the spread of malaria. They also plan to incorporate these findings in preventing further dengue outbreaks.
In this article, you’ll read:
- Experts Named Medications That May Fight Against Dengue
- Dengue Clinical Trials in Singapore
- 6 Symptoms of Dengue in Children
Experts Named Medications That May Fight Against Dengue
Experts in Singapore acknowledged preventive drugs that are effective in controlling the spread of malaria. Aside from that, they said that they could also use it to fight dengue outbreaks.
Professor Martin Hibberd is from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. According to him, they use data science to predict large clusters. They could be able to help in combatting the Aedes aegypti mosquito threat in Singapore.
“We’ve seen that malaria drugs have been effective in preventing the spread of the disease in Haiti,” said the professor.
The expert in infectious diseases was in Singapore. He spoke about the preventive drugs during the 5th Asia Dengue Summit at Orchard Hotel on the 15th of June.
“Given that the dengue drug uses the same mechanism,” he added. “It should also be applicable for controlling dengue outbreaks.”
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States also suggests preventive drugs that travellers can use. Travellers can take preventive drugs or prophylactics to prevent malaria from spreading.
Taking preventive medication to prevent malaria is not the same as what has been used in Singapore. They give it specifically to travellers.
“As controlling the chain of dengue transmission within a household or community is highly time-sensitive,” stated Hibberd.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggest that preventive medication could play a vital role in controlling dengue. Additionally, in recent cases, prophylactic drugs provided more efficiency compared to adult mosquito-killing vector control methods.
“Using these prophylactics could help extend that time frame, especially since several days often pass before people present symptoms of dengue infection,” added Hibberd.
The preventive measures that experts are using would help interrupt the individual chains of transmission if it was rapidly deployed.
Dengue Clinical Trials in Singapore
At present, Singaporean researchers are conducting clinical trials on drugs made by the Belgian drug manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals. It is a new experimental drug; it works by preventing two proteins from the dengue virus from interacting. Additionally, it is similar to the mechanism experts used in malaria drugs.
Currently, Singapore is amidst a vast dengue wave. The country has more than 15,000 cases reported in the first 24 weeks of the current year. The overall treatment for dengue is to tackle the symptoms. According to the Ministry of Health, symptoms include fever, skin rashes, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, and mild bleeding.
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Unfortunately, there is no specific antiviral drug against dengue for that general population at present. It is according to the executive director at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Professor Leo Yee sin.
Professor Leo also added that dengue management in Singapore focuses on community awareness. Aside from that, they also aim to seek early medical attention to achieve an earlier diagnosis.
In addition to preventive medication, experts would also want to develop and use predictive data models. The model can predict dengue case trends up to three months ahead.
Aside from that, they also use a network of Gravitraps. They are designed to attract and trap female Aedes adult mosquitoes looking for sites to lay their eggs. It will provide surveillance of mosquito populations.
When used in tandem with preventive medicine, they said it could aid in targeting interventions to contain dengue outbreaks.
6 Symptoms of Dengue in Children
Most parents aim to fight against dengue to ensure the safety of their loved ones. This especially applied to the severe effects of dengue fever in children. We hope to avoid them from getting bitten by infected mosquitos as much as possible.
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Dengue is transmitted by mosquitos and causes sudden fever and acute joint pains. Dengue fever is a tropical, mosquito-borne disease that causes flu-like symptoms, rashes and muscle pain. People who get sick with dengue experience some signs and symptoms. It includes the following:
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Sudden onset of fever for 2-7 days
High fever is usually the first symptom that manifests; other symptoms appear after the fever goes down.
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Severe headache with pain behind the eyes
There were times when the symptoms were mild. It could be mistaken for those the flu or another viral infection.
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Joint and muscle pain
Children and other people who have never had an infection before tend to have milder cases. However. they still suffer from muscle pain.
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Skin rashes
Doctors can diagnose other symptoms of dengue, such as rashes, through a blood test.
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Nausea and vomiting
Mosquitoes that bite the infected family member could spread the infection to other households.
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Mild bleeding
Mild bleeding includes bleeding in the gums and nose.
Aside from the six common symptoms of dengue mentioned above, here are other signs you should observe: backaches and headaches, loss of appetite, and susceptibility to easy bruising.
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How To Protect Your Family As Dengue Clusters Sprout Across Singapore
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