Monsoon season always brings some bittersweet memories with it. There was a time when playing in the rain, sipping masala tea, and munching on crispy pakoras used to be the indication of monsoon time. But, this year's monsoon season has completely changed the definition of monsoon for my family and me. With an all-pervasive fear of the pandemic, my family and I associated my symptoms of fever and body ache with coronavirus, and the thought that I had dengue fever did not even cross my mind.

One mosquito bite and careless attitude towards dengue fever gifted me with two days of hospitalization and one full month of recovery. Before last year, I used to hear news of dengue fever and precautions for dengue in the newspaper or TV only. In short, my knowledge regarding dengue fever symptoms and precautions for dengue virus were all bookish and full of misconceptions.

But, when I experienced the signs of dengue fever closely, so many bubbles regarding dengue causes and symptoms burst for me. In my dengue fever recovery journey, I have learned and experienced so many different emotions along with my trusted partner, Godrej Kala Lime Hit. Today, I want to come forward and share some actual dengue myths and facts so that no one else has to go through what I have experienced.

The dengue season is currently in the full swing around the whole country, creating an ideal environment for getting sick. Thus, if you don’t want your family to suffer from the fate that my family had to experience last year, you need to stock up on mosquito killer spray, but before that, lets burst some dengue myths.

 Top 5 Dengue Myths – My Personal Experience

Nowadays, if you are suffering for a few days, either you will be advised to rest as it’s just a viral or worst you will be submitted to the local corona ward. Nobody will think that the one mosquito bite has caused them dengue or malaria.

But, when your dengue virus report comes positive, your aching body suddenly becomes a local interest, and everyone starts to experiment with you like you are a laboratory rat. And, a truckload of information related to dengue fever treatment and dengue prevention tips start coming your way. However, the authenticity of the information is always questionable. So, if you don’t want to get stuck in the land of dengue myths, just walk with me and bust the top five common dengue myths.

Dengue Myth 1. Dengue Can Be Transmitted By Any Mosquito

Now, whenever a mosquito bites me, all those haunting memories of dengue fever come back and put me into panic mode because it just takes one mosquito bite to transmit a dengue virus. However, my fear of mosquito bite was going overboard and driving my entire family crazy, so my mom advised me to learn more about dengue causes and symptoms. In my study, I got to know a lot about my nemesis - Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

In the dengue myths and facts journey, knowing about the dengue virus spreading mosquitoes has been highly informative for me. Foremost, you need to bust the dengue myth that every mosquito bite will cause dengue. Only the female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can spread the dengue virus and in fact, these mosquitoes can transfer the infection only when they themselves are infected. So, no need to panic after each mosquito bite.

 However, if you know some of the behavior traits of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, you can easily kill dengue mosquito –

1. The normal feeding period of dengue mosquito is during the day time.
2. According to a report published by CNN.com, dengue mosquito is attracted to carbon dioxide and heat. Thus, your sweat producing body parts are potential detectors of a mosquito bite. That’s why larger people are preferred by dengue mosquito as they sweat more.
3. Dengue mosquitoes breed in clean water. But, it doesn’t mean that by simply clearing water from your bathroom is going to kill dengue mosquito. You need to properly scrub your bathroom and use mosquito killer spray to kill eggs of mosquito.
4. Additionally, if your neighbor cooperates with you, then you can easily get rid of dengue in your locality.
5. Adult Aedes mosquitoes can fly only up to 200 to 400 meters. Thus, if everyone in your neighborhood maintains a clean environment and uses Godrej Kala Hit Lime, you don’t have ever worry about dengue.
6. Importantly, one mosquito bite is sufficient enough to transmit the dengue virus and make you sick for days.

To beat your enemy, you need to know it and stay one step ahead of it. Don’t be afraid of dengue mosquito, just find all the relevant information about your arch-enemy so that you can prepare your dengue prevention strategies.

Dengue Myth 2. Dengue Fever Is Just a Common Fever

I can still clearly recoil from the memory of that unfortunate day when after four days of constant fever, severe body aches, and believing that it’s just a viral, I got myself tested for dengue virus and got a positive report. I made the mistake of believing the test guy that ‘dengue fever is yet another type of fever which will automatically cure in a few days.’ It was the first dengue fever myth that created a pathway for my two-day hospital trip.

Mostly, people don’t know that there are actually two types of dengue– dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Symptoms of dengue fever in both cases are completely different.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever  –

 DF is a mild state of dengue attack, and its symptoms are something like this –

• Sudden high fever
• Intense headache
• Pain behind the eyes
• Multiple joint and muscle pain
• Severe fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• After two or five days of fever, skin rashes can be seen
• Mild nose bleeding, gum bleeding, or easy bruising can be observed

Symptoms of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever -

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an advanced stage of the dengue virus that occurs due to negligence. When you don’t treat your dengue fever properly on time, it can lead to DHF, which can be very dangerous. For infants, small children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with low immunity, dengue fever can even cause death. However, symptoms of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever are similar to the DF but much more severe and elevated.

 So, if you don’t want to end up in the hospital like me, you should not underestimate the power of the dengue virus and immediately contact your physician to get the right treatment. Plus, keep Kala Hit with you always so that you never have to study symptoms of dengue virus.

Dengue Myth 3. Papaya Leaf Can Treat Dengue Fever

Indian Ayurveda and traditional medical science have been well known around the world.  The significance of herbs has been noted down in our Vedas also. Thus, when it comes to the treatment of dengue fever, numerous herbs are used to treat it. Out of all the home remedies which are advocated to treat the dengue virus, the utilization of papaya leaf is highly impactful.

As per one study conducted over 400 dengue patients under which half were given papaya leaf extract in the tablet form and other half were given a standard dengue treatment, it was observed that people who were given papaya leaf tablets – had a higher platelet count and had fewer side effects as compared to the other group.

Now, one thing that we should observe from the study is papaya leaf only helps in increasing the platelet count. By no means, papaya leaf extract can cure dengue fever. It is just a helping agent. You can subside the dengue fever symptoms with papaya leaf extract, but it can’t treat dengue fever.

I’m busting this papaya leaf dengue myth based on my personal experience. When I took papaya leaf tablets during dengue fever without any other treatment, it did not improve my platelet count. But, once I started taking medical treatment along with papaya leaf tablets, it improved my platelet level gradually and saved me from a blood transfusion. Additionally, it helped during the recovery phase too.

Thus, if you want to use papaya leaf extract or any other home remedies to treat dengue fever, you need to understand the real function and impact of the treatment. Otherwise, you might end up worsening your dengue fever symptoms.

Dengue Myth 4. Dengue Virus Can Only Attack Children or Older People

I used to believe that I’m healthy and young, so I can’t get infected by the dengue virus. Even though my diagnosis of dengue fever was early and timely, I was in complete denial because I was under the misconception that dengue only happens to children or older people. But, this is one of the biggest dengue myths because the mosquito bite is completely unbiased and has no relation to the age of a person.

Whether you are young or old, dengue fever symptoms are equally deadly for everyone. However, the immunity level among young people are better as compared to children or older people; thus, the recovery rate is slightly better. But, it doesn’t mean that young and healthy people don’t need to use precautions for the dengue virus. Especially in tropical regions, dengue fever is very common during the monsoon season. Thus, never underestimate the power of a mosquito bite.

You need to keep your home thoroughly clean and spray Godrej Kala Hit Lime to keep dengue away. The preventions for dengue should be followed by everyone because we all are at equal risk of getting dengue. So, if you have heard any dengue myths like dengue mosquito prefers women, dark skin people, or so on, immediately break that myth because dengue fever doesn’t discriminate against people based on caste, creed, or gender.

Dengue Myth 5. One Person Can Get Dengue Only Once

The list of dengue myths is very long, but I want to draw attention to a very common and deadly myth that dengue fever only occurs once in a lifetime. When I recovered from dengue, one of my relatives said that you had developed lifetime immunity against the dengue virus, and now you won’t get it again. That really made me happy and curious, so I tried confirming this from my doctor. After laughing at my question for a minute, my doctor outrageously denied the fact.

It is studied that one person can get dengue infection at least four times in a lifetime. Thus, you can’t let your guard down if you have once-beaten the dengue fever because the second attack might be more dangerous for you. That’s why this year, I have been super cautious and attentive even before the start of the dengue season. I would recommend everyone who has or has not experienced the wrath of dengue fever to continue following precautions for the dengue virus.

Common Dengue Prevention Tips

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease; precautions for dengue include protecting yourself from the mosquito bite. Simply because no approved dengue vaccine is available. Apart from using mosquito killer as Kala Hit, you can use the following precautions for dengue –

• Whenever you go out for a morning walk or anywhere else, you should wear long sleeves top and full pants.
• You should completely cover your feet with thick socks as dengue mosquito can’t fly beyond your waist.
• Keep a trusted mosquito killer at your home and frequently spray it in the dark corners of your home, such as behind the curtains, under the tables, etc.
• Keep your windows and doors screens closed to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
• Don’t go near standing water specifically during dawn or dusk.
• Don’t let clean water collect anywhere in your house, not even your bathroom. Once you clean water, you should spray mosquito killer spray to kill the eggs of the dengue mosquito also.
• Keep your neighborhood clean because you can’t get rid of dengue mosquitoes on your own. It requires the efforts of the entire community.

Precaution is always better than cure. Thus, always follow the dengue prevention tips because you are never immune to dengue fever. And, Godrej KALA HIT is the best dengue prevention that you can provide to your family.

My Findings – Your Gain

Dengue is a lot more dangerous than we give it credit. Dengue fever might cure in a couple of days with the right medication and treatment, but to fully recover, it takes a few months. That’s why my entire purpose of sharing common dengue myths is to prevent you from making the mistakes that I have made.

So sharing my harrowing experience with you to burst your dengue myths so that you stay away from a mosquito bite always. On parting thoughts, I would recommend everyone to clean their home frequently with an effective mosquito killer like Godrej Kala Hit Lime and try to create a dengue free environment.

Godrej Hit anti-mosquito racket killer will help you in getting rid of the mosquitoes & the diseases they spread.