What should you do when you have dengue

Experience the following symptoms and think you may have dengue?

• Fever

• Headache with pain behind the eyes

• Muscle and joint aches

• Rashes

• Poor appetite

• Nausea and vomitting

What should you do next? Here’s what your next steps should be, with advice from Professor Leo, the Executive Director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

1. See a doctor

They’ll be able to assess your symptoms, and test you immediately. When you seek early treatment, the doctors can also help to monitor your entire course of illness.

Dengue can be a life threatening condition, particularly individuals with a weakened immune system, so don’t hesitate to see a doctor.

2. Get adequate rest and hydrate yourself

Make sure you get about 3 litres of water daily. Generally, you should be going to the toilet at least once every 3-4 hours and make sure the urine colour is relatively clear.

3. Monitor your symptoms

Typically after the early phase of high fever, dengue fever moves into a critical period. Besides monitoring your temperature, you should also look out for warning signs that the infection is getting worse. That includes persistent vomiting, bleeding in the gum, abdominal pain, or feeling extremely tired or listless.

4. Continue to see your doctor until you’ve recovered

You may be inclined to stop seeing the doctor once your condition improves, but it is important to let the same doctor monitor you until you’re fully recovered.

Dengue is a painful disease, but you can do your part to prevent it.