Rainy days has officially started. So better get ready with the diseases that it might bring, one of which is dengue fever, which I have had 2 weeks ago. What is dengue fever and how does one get dengue fever?

Dengue is also called dengue hemorrhagic fever which can be fatal if not given with immediate attention. This disease is brought by a day- biting (6am-6pm) mosquito called Aedes aegypti. Dengue is manifested by high fever, malaise, dizziness, vomiting, loss of appetite and very low platelet count.

There is no medication for dengue fever but hydration is very important for a dengue patient. When I had dengue, I was drinking at least 2 liters of water daily plus Gatorade, intravenous fluid (dextrose) and I was drinking herbal infusion (boiled grass called tawa-tawa in bicol). This herbal infusion is believed to bring back the platelet count to normal (150–400 x 10⁹/L of blood) within 24 hours.

Everyone can prevent dengue fever by not allowing mosquito to bite you. How do you do it? According to DOH, here are the ways on how to control and prevent dengue fever:

• Cover water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

• Replace water in flower vases once a week.

• Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the sides.

• Clean gutters of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect as breeding places of mosquitoes.

• Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water.

• Collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water.