Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2015 - The Health & Wellness Issue | Page 27

HEALTH & well-being

Phase 1:

THE ATTACK

Aedes mosquitoes relish laying
their eggs in clear, standing water
found in places such as flower pots,
pet bowls, flower vases, and open
drains. And, unlike their mosquito
brethren who generally prefer dawn
or outdoor dinner parties at dusk
or even night, the Aedes also enjoys feasting during daylight hours
and have a particular penchant
for loitering indoors. Obviously,
at some point, one of these little
she-devils decided that my hubby
would be her next “bloody” buffet.
I should clarify: It is only the female
Aedes that feeds on humans. The male
Aedes are peace-loving fellows
who indulge in fruit.

Phase 2:

FEVERS AND ACHES
Anywhere from four days up to two
weeks after the initial bite, the first

dengue symptoms start to appear. This includes a sudden fever
and aching bones and muscles. There
is a good reason why dengue is also
called “break-bone fever.” The fever
can last anywhere from two to seven days. As my husband writhed
and moaned, sweating bucket-loads
of sweat onto my 1000 thread count
Egyptian cotton bed sheets for three
entire days, I confess that I made
one or two comments along the lines
of“ Argh, you men—if you had periods, the world would end today. Come
on old boy; it’s just a widdle fever!”
Several days later, the fever
subsided. I gave him the all-knowing
“I told you so” look. I think we both
felt that I was probably right to cast
such an aspersion.

Phase 3:

THE RASH

The body rash appeared two days
after the fever had dissipated
and we thought he was in the clear.
I flashed back to my underplaying
of the fever. Guilt sets in. At this

Four serotypes of the virus cause
dengue. Recovery from infection
by one serotype provides
lifelong immunity against that
particular serotype; however,
cross-immunity to the other
serotypes after recovery
is only partial and temporary.
Subsequent infections by other
serotypes increase the risk
of developing severe dengue.
Source: World Health
Organization
point, we ran through the vaccination checklist. Measles?—check.
Chicken pox?—check. Hmmmm,
what’s next? My theory then moved
onto environmental causes: “Honey
it seems you probably have some environmental contact dermatitis. What
have you been handling? What have
you been doing?”
The rash grew and grew.
It started on his hands and then
moved to the rest of his body.
Of course being entirely dedicated
and committed to his job,
my husband continued to haul

Water, rest, and paracetemol
are essential to recovery

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