2024-02-25 20:18:15
Usually, when she gets angry – which is rare – her colleagues wonder what fly might have bitten her… but this time, Chantal (not her real name), 52 years old, an executive in a private company, did a bad encounter with a mosquito. Which unfortunately gave her dengue… A painful episode that she experienced a short time ago and which she “wouldn’t wish on anyone”.
Although she lives in a very wooded area, it was not at home that she contracted the virus but at the office; she is convinced of it. The recovery took a week but it seemed like an eternity. “Today, I take every precaution by using mosquito repellents and lotions. I even stopped wearing perfume because I slather myself with these products,” she admits, only half laughing.
Chantal lives in a family courtyard of several acres where around fifteen other people live. But she was the only one to have ‘caught’ dengue fever. It’s crazy, you say? “A few days before the symptoms appeared, a colleague and I noticed mosquitoes in the office, but we didn’t take it seriously.”
On the fateful Friday, while she was immersed in her work, Chantal was suddenly seized with tremors so violent that her teeth chattered. “It was the first time in my life that I felt such intense cold, as if I had a fever of 40 degrees! Despite my thick jacket, I was shivering, and we even had to turn off the air conditioning. I took a strong painkiller to bring down the fever, but even when I went home that evening, I continued to feel cold all night,” says the fifty-year-old, whom her colleagues and relatives call “The Pharmacy “, as she is always well equipped and offers remedies for all their ills…
But the condition of the traveling pharmacy was to deteriorate over the following days. When he wakes up, his eyes are red and irritated, like following a night of excessive alcohol consumption. However, she had not yet swallowed her bottle of ‘red’… “That day, I had planned to receive friends from abroad for lunch, but I was not in good shape at all. I had nausea and no appetite.” Two days later, his feet began to swell and red spots appeared all over his body, accompanied by intense itching. “It was really unbearable and I constantly had to apply moisturizing gel to relieve myself…”
Worried regarding this new twist, Chantal goes to a clinic where the diagnosis is made: it is dengue fever. “In view of my symptoms corresponding to dengue fever, the doctor, upon consulting me, confirmed the diagnosis. Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for this viral disease. So she had to rely on painkillers to relieve her symptoms and let the disease take its course. For her, dengue was just fever, among other symptoms; she didn’t know that it might also be accompanied by skin rashes so itchy that they would almost drive her ‘crazy’…
Chantal, a model of prudence, did not think that she would contract this disease. The week that followed was more than trying, with incessant itching and a general feeling of discomfort. Although she did not suffer from body aches, she was confronted with the disconcerting reality of this too often underestimated disease. “My doctor told me I had all the symptoms of dengue except the body aches. Today, I’m really careful not to contract it once more because the specialist told me that a second infection would be much more serious for me. In addition to mosquito repellents and lotions, I turn on my citronella essential oil burner whenever I work from home because my desk is in front of the window. When the symptoms disappeared, I felt very tired and I had the impression of having an empty head,” continues our interlocutor, who remains very vigilant.
This experience had a profound impact on Chantal, not only because of the inconvenience she endured but also because of her awareness of the crucial importance of protecting herself once morest diseases transmitted by mosquitoes…
What to do
The new guidelines for the management of patients suspected of being infected with dengue require a screening process including a rapid diagnostic test and a PCR test. Typical symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, skin rashes and hemorrhagic manifestations, as well as abnormally low levels of white blood cells and platelets in the blood.
In the event of a positive dengue test, the patient is recommended to protect themselves while waiting for confirmation by the PCR test. According to the new protocol, patients confirmed positive must go to the emergency room of a regional hospital or to a clinic to receive appropriate treatment. Those without major symptoms can return home and will be placed under surveillance. Patients with serious symptoms will be hospitalized and medically monitored.
Patients allowed to return home must self-isolate for ten days to avoid further mosquito bites and prevent disease transmission. They should take their prescribed medications regularly and contact their healthcare facility if they experience serious symptoms such as persistent stomach ache, vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, nose, or if they notice traces of blood in vomit, stools or urine.
Furthermore, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health yesterday, anyone who has contracted dengue fever must follow the health protocol put in place by the authorities – including 10 days of home isolation. During the period of absence due to illness, employees must notify their employers and send them a medical certificate issued by a public doctor no later than the fourth day. This period of absence will be deducted from the employee’s sick leave balance.
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