Dengue cases are rising in Italy, with infections also increasing in Rome and Lazio for the first time according to today’s news. “We are receiving dozens of reports from colleagues of suspicious fever pictures, not linked to Covid, which could suggest Dengue”, says Pierluigi Bartoletti, provincial secretary of Fimmg Rome and deputy national secretary of Fimmg, the Federation, to Adnkronos Salute. Italian general practitioner. “Colleagues became alarmed and the tom-tam began on our network to understand how to assist these suspected cases.”
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But what are the initial symptoms that should make us think of the presence of the disease? “A high and prolonged fever, associated with widespread malaise and skin rashes should trigger the ‘sirens’ for suspicion of Dengue. Perhaps after excluding other diseases, asking if there has been a trip abroad to endemic areas” , explains Bartoletti, underlining that “today, however, it is essential to track the cases, we are at 28 in Lazio, understand if there are relationships and also analyze where to intervene and also predict the evolution so as not to create outbreaks. We must understand if we are faced with indigenous cases and take the necessary countermeasures”. According to Bartoletti, also on the arbovirus infectious diseases front, “the in-clinic diagnostics that we have been requesting for some time would be appropriate”, he recalls.
In the latest bulletin from the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) there are a total of 165, with Lazio seeing infections rise to 28, and Lombardy already at 50. The Dengue virus disease has “a very general impact important, high fever, osteoarticular pain and also respiratory effort – Massimo Andreoni, scientific director of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) and professor of Infectious Diseases at the Tor Vergata University of Rome, explains to Adnkronos Salute – To have the to be sure of having Dengue requires a specific blood test, a diagnostic test reserved for qualified centers. But the strangeness of the disease must draw the attention of the family doctor. I understand that in the past this type of exotic disease far from us was not explored in depth during their university career, but today they are here – warns the expert – and they will become increasingly common”.
DENGUE, WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT IS TRANSMITTED
The Ministry of Health highlights that Dengue is transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. It is a febrile illness that affects infants, children and adults with symptoms appearing 3-14 days after the infecting bite. The bite of infected mosquitoes causes a severe flu-like illness and sometimes a life-threatening complication called severe dengue, formerly known as dengue hemorrhagic fever. First recognized in the 1950s during dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand, severe dengue affects countries in Asia and Latin America and has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death in these areas between children and adults.
A person infected with the dengue virus manifests from mild fever to disabling high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain and skin rash. The clinical characteristics of this disease vary depending on the age of the patient. Dengue should be suspected when a high fever (40°C) is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: severe headache; pain behind the eyes; nausea, vomiting; swollen glands; muscle and joint pain and skin rash. Symptoms usually last for 2-7 days.
DENGUE GRAVE
Severe dengue is a life-threatening complication due to plasma leakage, fluid buildup, breathing problems, severe bleeding, or organ compromise. It especially affects children. The warning signs to watch for, which occur 3-7 days after the first symptoms, are: severe abdominal pain; persistent vomiting; shortness of breath; bleeding gums and tiredness. The next 24-48 hours of the critical phase can be lethal. Adequate medical care is necessary to avoid complications and the risk of death.
TREATMENT
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Patients should consult a doctor, rest and drink plenty of fluids. Some antipyretic drugs (acetylsalicylic acid – aspirin and ibuprofen) must be avoided, which, due to their action on blood coagulation, could favor the appearance of hemorrhagic manifestations (petechiae) or cause their worsening. Paracetamol can be taken to reduce fever and joint pain.
For severe dengue, medical care by doctors and nurses with experience in the effects and progression of the disease can often save lives. Maintaining the volume of circulating fluids is the central element of such treatments.
2023-09-18 12:30:00
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