Dengue is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito and presents as a high-grade viral fever. Pregnant women need to protect themselves from getting infected with the disease as the occurrence of dengue in pregnant women is on the rise due to a heavy increase in mosquitoes in densely populated areas.
Worldwide there are 190 million cases of dengue, while our country is seeing a 25% increase each year mainly due to ineffective preventive steps to control mosquito breeding. As we look at the statistics, it becomes extremely important to keep your surroundings clean to stay away from dengue. Here are some important things about dengue that pregnant women need to keep in mind.
BEING CAREFUL WHILE YOU ARE PREGNANT
While you are pregnant, it is important to be careful of the places you travel to as dengue is fairly common in more than 100 countries, including tropical countries. Before you set out on your journey, ensure to find out if dengue is prevalent in that country. Also, do not forget to talk to your gynaecologist before travelling. Prevention is better than cure as far as dengue is concerned as an expecting mother infected with dengue has the possibility to pass the infection to her fetus during pregnancy or at the time of birth. Dengue can have serious effects on the fetus including low birth weight, premature birth and even death.
However, if you happen to reside or need to travel in an area with risk of dengue, do remember to protect yourself from mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved clothes, using a safe mosquito repellent, staying at a place with screens on windows and doors and most important is to take adequate steps to keep your surroundings clean to control mosquitos in and around your locality.
EFFECTS OF DENGUE ON MOTHER
For expectant mothers who happen to contract the infection—adequate fluid intake is the first thing to be prescribed as hydration is crucial to maintain embryonic fluid level. In addition to antipyretics, careful monitoring is important by medical experts.
Besides high-grade fever, persistent vomiting, fluid accumulation, intense headache, retro-orbital pain, abdominal pain, mucosal bleeding, lethargy, liver enlargement, and increasing haematocrit with decreasing platelets are some other symptoms. haemorrhage, severe plasma leakage, or organ failure are some of the presentations of severe dengue. Also, pregnant women infected with dengue have a possibility of pre-term delivery, low birth weight babies and pre-eclampsia.
Effects of dengue on the fetus or newborn vary with possibly less fetal harm occurring earlier in pregnancy. Early detection of dengue in pregnancy and appropriate medical care reduces fatality to below 1%. In view of the risk of vertical transmission, newborns with mothers who had dengue just before or at the time of delivery need to be closely monitored.
In summation, dengue fever also known as a break-bone disease results in severe weakness in patients which can be very dangerous for pregnant women. Timely treatment is the key to controlling the infection in its early stages. Any delay in treatment could result in multi-organ infection, acute respiratory distress syndrome and internal bleeding which can lead to spontaneous abortions and other complications in expectant mothers.
The writer is Gynaecologist, Obstetrician, and IVF Expert, Nurture IVF Clinic.
Pregnant women need to protect themselves from getting infected with the disease as the occurrence of dengue in pregnant women is on the rise due to a heavy increase in mosquitoes in densely populated areas.
Worldwide there are 190 million cases of dengue, while our country is seeing a 25% increase each year mainly due to ineffective preventive steps to control mosquito breeding.