Still Fighting Against Tropical Diseases in the 21st Century! Dengue – A Concern During Pregnancy Especially In Working Women

Abstract

Dengue is one of the most prevalent mosquito born infection worldwide. Dengue fever is a viral disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which bites during daylight hours. The disease is common in tropic and subtropic regions and is often confused with malaria. With the increased rate of adult dengue fever victims, the number of infected pregnant women has also increased. Severe dengue illness during pregnancy is associated with major adverse outcome of maternal deaths, perinatal deaths, preterm births and haemorrhage during labour. In case of infection close to term, there is a risk of vertical transmission. Hence the knowledge of its diagnosis and timely management is of vital importance. Dengue infection can present four different clinical syndromes:
undifferentiated fever, classical dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. The effects of dengue fever on pregnancy have not been researched thoroughly, so comprehensive data is not available. It is advisable for pregnant women to avoid travelling to areas where dengue fever is common, such as the Caribbean, Central America and south-central Asia. If travel is necessary, pregnant women should take measures to reduce the risk of mosquito bites. To avoid being bitten by a dengue fever carrying mosquito, women should wear long pants and long sleeves, and stay away from standing water and use mosquito nets while sleeping. The working women are more at risk at their work places, due to mosquito presence and there may be no mosquito repellents used, stagnant water in coolers, their uniforms etc.
We report our experience of three years (2010-2012) of managing pregnancy complicated by dengue.