Dengue is now one of the most scariest sickness nowadays especially in children. Know about dengue and its signs and symptoms here. Gone were the days when a fever is caused by a flu virus, “pagngingipin” (baby tooth erupting), or “lagnat laki” and the like. A slight fever on the second day must not be ignored but checked at once. I have a 12-year-old cousin who had dengue last month (she was able to recover without blood transfusion, thank God) and a cousin in the province whose 10-month-old baby died because of dengue 🙁
I never imagined knowing someone close to me acquire this sickness and even take away a relative’s life. I don’t want it to happen to my own daughter or any family member. There were already a few times that we requested a dengue test (including NS1 Antigen which can detect dengue as early as after 24 hours of fever) for Kelsea when she had fever for more than 2 or 3 days. It’s quite expensive but we want to make sure because early detection and treatment is better than waiting for bleeding or hemorrhage to occur.
How do we get rid of this bad illness? The commercial products we can buy like insect repellants are not enough because they are not long-term solutions. Actions must start in our own homes. I saw this poster in a hospital to remind the whole community on how to fight dengue.
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| Fight Against Dengue |
Better to let all people in your household know the above prevention. Aside from the tips above, we can also put plants that can repel insects such as citronella plants. For the protection of my family, I brought the following items for dengue prevention:
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| Organic home spray |
We used to buy Baygon but there are harmful chemicals in it so we switched to an organic one. When Kelsea was still a baby, I used Indigo Baby‘s Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me lotion in pet bottles. I used to be one of their resellers a few years ago. Now, I’m using their 1-liter home spray (Php999) to spray inside the house.
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| Organic Gel |
I bought this organic gel in Ace Hardware to put in our bedroom to protect us while sleeping (we are still co-sleeping with Kelsea). The scent though is not that strong maybe because of only a few holes on top.
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| Mosquito repellant bracelet |
I also brought the bracelet in Ace Hardware (They have lots of mosquito repellant products.) It’s very affordable, adjustable and can be worn on the wrist or ankle. It also has a very strong scent so for sure no mosquitoes will be roaming around you or your kid. It just says in the instructions to put back the bracelet inside the resealable zip lock when not in use to maintain its effectivity. But when the scent wears off, you can still reuse it by spraying repellant liquid on its surface.
Kelsea wore it at once but after a few hours took it off. She’s really not fond of wearing a bracelet for hours. That’s why we always rely on something that we apply on her skin, But it must be organic and DEET-free like the product below.
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| Bug spray |
Human Heart Nature‘s Citronella Bug Spray (or their Bug Shield Lotion) is a must-have for us and a must-bring anywhere we go. I’m one of their dealers since 2009 and my family has been using their products for personal use. You can re-apply this on your or your kid’s skin every 4 hours depending on your/his/her physical activity. It is safe because it is organic, meaning there’s no harmful chemicals, and at the same time helping our local farmers/workers make a living.
How about you? Please do share how you and your family fight dengue 🙂
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