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Dengue Fever

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Lyndan
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Dengue Fever

Post by Lyndan » Wed, 30 May 2007 2:37 pm

Hey All,

Wondered what everyones thoughts are on Dengue Fever? Does it concern you - we are due to move here next month and I am wondering how big it actually is here, do a lot of people die from it?

Cheers

huggybear
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Post by huggybear » Wed, 30 May 2007 2:51 pm

coming from dublin i'd be more worried about sunburn.

Lyndan
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Post by Lyndan » Wed, 30 May 2007 3:15 pm

haha, very true
I got burned on the weekend!!

But seriously, how worried are people about it?

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ScoobyDoes
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Post by ScoobyDoes » Wed, 30 May 2007 3:27 pm

Dengue itself is very serious so don't take it lightly.

My secretary in KL has had it twice now, the first time being a near death experience and the second time, last month was only better because she already knew what the symtoms were.

With regards directly to Singapore, i just moved myself and have only heard of a number of hotspots that need treatment.

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Asian_Geekette
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Post by Asian_Geekette » Wed, 30 May 2007 4:37 pm

Just make sure that there are no stagnant pool of water (where the mozzies can breed) around the place you'll be staying. Make sure the windows have mozzie screens. :D Or you can use mosquito nets over your beds. So it won't look boring, decorate your bedroom ala-jungle theme or romantic Victorian era-inspired so the mosquito net won't look out of place. :P

Seriously, here's what NEA (National Environment Agency of SG) has issued as statement about dengue:
http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=2871

If you're really scared, just put on mozzie repellent lotion (aside from making sure that your place doesn't have mozzie inside).

Cheers
My business is not to remake myself, but make the absolute best out of what God made. -Robert Browning

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Plavt
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Post by Plavt » Wed, 30 May 2007 6:36 pm


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ksl
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Post by ksl » Thu, 31 May 2007 1:14 am

You should take the warnings very seriously, I can tell you if you get it, you maybe lucky to pull through, quite a few have died in Singapore, so its always best to be prepared, by doing your home work and following all the advice. Don't take it for granted you are safe, becuase no one is safe!
Although with 4.5 million people here the odds are quite high, but so is winning the lotto! I'd rather play lotto, than russian roulette

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Post by seasider » Thu, 31 May 2007 5:28 pm

I had Dengue last year - my husband and I were both admitted to hospital with it. He was in 5 days, me 3, both on IV. He was so bad he almost had to have a blood transfusion. We lost weight rapidly (good for me, not good for him!).

It's very nasty - like the worst flu/fever/headache you will ever experience - and the after effects can be multiple and long-lasting. It took us about a month to get any energy back, and my liver took some time to recover but it was not healthy in the first place. The rash and subsequent peeling can be very uncomfortable. 11 months on, my hair is just about back to normal after thinning quite alarmingly.

Would it stop me living in Singapore? No. :lol:

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Post by Kats_ » Thu, 31 May 2007 6:21 pm

I am sorry to hear seasider. Bless!

Glad you recovered soon. :)
tonton toto, ton thé t'a t-il ôté ta toux?

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Asian_Geekette
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Post by Asian_Geekette » Fri, 01 Jun 2007 9:55 am

Sorry to hear about that seasider.
My business is not to remake myself, but make the absolute best out of what God made. -Robert Browning

earthfriendly
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Post by earthfriendly » Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:53 pm

Do take it very seriously. It has reached epidemic level in both SG and Malaysia. Do not have any pool of water around. And if you see someone does, remind them too.

Not everyone will survive the disease. Play it safe.

changes
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Post by changes » Fri, 01 Jun 2007 1:57 pm

I had Dengue in 2003 when I started work in SG. I only had fever and headache before admitted to the hospital. I did not have rashes on my body therefore, my company doctor did not think that I had Dengue fever.It caused delay for the treament.
When I admitted to hospital, I was in danger and stay in the hosptial around 1 week. Doctor told me that I was lucky to go through it. ...

Few weeks ago, I had high fever again. I was worry to have Dengue fever again.. [-o<
Lucky..it is not.....:D

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jpatokal
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Post by jpatokal » Fri, 01 Jun 2007 8:29 pm

Let's not go overboard here -- dengue isn't fun, but in Singapore, you need to be very unlucky to catch it and exceedingly unlucky to die from it. In 2005, Singapore had its worst dengue year ever, with 13,984 cases reported and 19 deaths. With four million inhabitants, that translates to a 0.3% chance of getting infected (at the height of an epidemic!) and a 0.0005% chance of dying from it (or 0.1% of those infected). Ordinary dengue doesn't kill: you need to get dengue shock syndrome, which just doesn't happen in healthy adults who get medical treatment in time. To put these figures in perspective, in the same year 172 people died in traffic accidents, and over 4000 people die from cancer.
Vaguely heretical thoughts on travel technology at Gyrovague

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Post by seasider » Sat, 02 Jun 2007 1:37 am

jpatokal, whilst you are wise to warn against panic, there is a real risk from Dengue. Now Mr Seasider and I have had a less serious version, apparently we are at higher risk of catching the haemorraeghic (sp?) version next time. I have an autoimmune disease and I am susceptible to bugs too. When we were in Gleneagles last July, we were not even allowed to clean our teeth for fear of bleeding to death. It's a very real risk when one's platelet count is so low.

BTW, we did take precautions, as we know Geylang is a hotspot. We chucked out all our plants and made sure our gutters were clear, plus flushed our seldom-used outdoor toilet regularly. What we couldn't control was what our neighbours did.

I had a bad headache for a fortnight before I was diagnosed, and then I was only diagnosed because Mr S had a fever of 41.5, which was scary enough for me to march him straight off to the 24 hour clinic. He tested positive, so I asked to be tested too. I was borderline for a few days but ended up delirious and was then admitted, still above the government guidelines.

HOWEVER, my take on it all is - if the dengue doesn't get me, the JI might. Can't live in fear. :)

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sat, 02 Jun 2007 1:55 pm

I guess it might be a good time to pipe in here. Dengue fever is as real a danger as West Nile Fever is in the US. Both are Vector borne diseases and the carrier can breed in a 50 cent sized puddle of water (a bottle cap turned upside down). This year there is a more resistant strain of Dengue around that is resistant to the normal measures so prevention of their breeding places are of most import. The biggest danger is not to healthy adults but to children and the elderly. Most of the deaths occur to those age groups. It's is also dangerous to normal middle aged adults as well if they are having some other medical condition that keeps their systems at a low level of defense.

I could go on, but with people like seasider and her husband who have actually gone through it and fortunately survived, I can only reinforce what they have said already. I am the HR & Finance Manager for one of largest pest control companies in Singapore in terms of Government contracts and actual field force with over 160 men in the field (including 60 doing NEA inspections as I write this and will be doing the same tomorrow as well seconded to NEA for their war on Dengue). Change those vases with water daily or use granular insecticide. Preferably change the water daily as you will otherwise be lulled into complacency using the granular insecticide until it is no longer effective and oops, mozzies.

Like the Bird flu, the deaths haven't been high but it's only because of the strong efforts to prevent it's spread that it hasn't been higher. The only country to drag is heels is paying the price now, with the most deaths - indonesia. Let's not give it a chance.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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