Fever!!!

Never know how much I love you... [ ya right! ]
Never know how much I care... [ urgh! ]
When you put your arms around me... [ no thanks lor... ]
I get a fever that's so hard to bear...
You give me fever when you kiss me... [ uh-huh... dengue lor! ]
Fever when you hold me tight.. [ argh! ]
Fever in the morning... [ sio uh! ]
Fever all through the night... [ peng-san! ]

FEVER!!!

Dengue is on the rise!!! So folks, its time to slap on some repellent and REPEL REPEL REPEL those ikky l'il blood suckers! Just be really careful. Uh uh uh! No bites! Not from your proboscis at least. [ The proboscis is that l'il tube that the mossies used to SUCK your blood! It's so sharp and thin, you will not feel it puncture your skin... ]

Just yesterday, I got a call from Dee... And she said that Hans was in the hospital... And in my head I was like... Isn't that cow like supposed to be away in UK already? Why was he still on Singapore soil?!! Turned out that our friend kena Dengue Fever. [ Ok folks, snap your fingers like how it goes before Peggy Lee starts singing Fever... Kiddin'! ] That poor chap was so sick, he was barely anywhere close to the usual noisy fella we all know... The best part was, he had this bottle of really foul smelling get-well drink by his bed... Turned out that it was boiled papaya leaf tea... Don't think it really qualifies as a tea... It's more like a potion... Eew... Dee and I caught a wiff of the thing and we were like WHOA!!! Zaihan, was smarter... He didn't even want to attempt to smell it... Just in-case he's limbs get all shrivelled up after inhaling the 'thingy' and we have to bring him to the Hand and Limb Design Centre across the block, to get him fixed up. Don't worry Hans... You'd be out of there in no time... In the meantime... Just ta-han ok? Get well soon!

Ok... So... How do mosquitoes really bite?

So we all know that only female mosquitoes bite. [ Argh! Women!!! See lar... Kiddin' huh! ] They are attracted by several things, including heat [infrared light], light, perspiration [Eeek... Fetish sia!], body odor [Wah lauz! Confirm super-fetish lor!], lactic acid and carbon dioxide [ Quick! Don't breathe out!!! ]. The female lands on your skin and sticks her proboscis into you. Her saliva contains proteins (anticoagulants) that prevent your blood from clotting. She sucks your blood into her abdomen (about 5 microliters per serving for an Aedes aegypti mosquito). If she is disturbed, she will fly away. Otherwise, she will remain until she has a full abdomen. [Free-loaders!] If you were to cut the sensory nerve to her abdomen, she would keep sucking until she burst. [Super greedy lor! Bitch!] After she has bitten you, some saliva remains in the wound. The proteins from the saliva will evoke an immune response from your body. The area swells [the bump around the bite area is called a wheal, by the way!], and you itch and you will scratch... a response provoked by the saliva. Scratchy scratchy SCRATCH!!! Eventually, the swelling goes away, but the itch remains until your immune cells break down the saliva proteins.
To treat mosquito bites, you should wash them with mild soap and water. Try to avoid scratching the bite area, even though it itches. Uh uh uh!!! Some anti-itch medicines such as Calamine lotion [ Sing-a-long here >>> Calamine. Calamine. Calamine lotion! Oh NO more calamine lotion! Itchy, itchy, scratchy, scratchy...] or over-the-counter cortisone creams may relieve the itching. Typically, you do not need to seek medical attention [unless you feel dizzy or nauseated, which may indicate a severe allergic reaction to the bite].

Dengue fever... Some folks call it the "break-bone fever", because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking, hence the name. It is caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. A person can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during a life span, but only once by the same type. dengue virus infections from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite. The two main species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, have been responsible for all cases of dengue transmitted. Dengue is not contagious from person to person.

Symptoms of typical uncomplicated (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 5 to 6 days after you have been bitten by an infected mosquito and include:
01_ High fever
02_ Severe headache
03_ Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain
04_ Severe joint and muscle pain
05_ Nausea and vomiting
06_ Rash [ The rash may appear over most of your body 3 to 4 days after the fever begins. A second rash may appear later after contacting the disease. ]

Symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever include all of the symptoms of classic dengue plus marked damage to blood and lymph vessels; and bleeding from the nose, gums, or under the skin, causing purplish bruises. This form of dengue disease causes some deaths .

Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome—the most severe form of dengue disease—include all of the symptoms of classic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, plus fluids leaking outside of blood vessels; massive bleeding [ WHOA! ] and shock!

This form of the disease usually occurs in children [ and sometimes adults... super suay lor! ] experiencing their second dengue infection. The fatality rate is 5 to 15 percent.

There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever, and like most people you will recover completely within 2 weeks. To help with recovery, health care experts recommend:
01_ Getting plenty of bed rest [ ZzzzZZZzzzz... ]
02_ Drinking lots of fluids [ but no boiled papaya leaf tea please! ]
03_ Taking medicine to bring your fever down.

Doctors advise people with dengue fever not to take aspirin. Acetaminophen or other over-the-counter pain-reducing medicines are safe for "most" people. For severe dengue symptoms, including shock and coma, early and aggressive emergency treatment with fluid and electrolyte replacement can be lifesaving.

Most people who develop dengue fever recover completely within 2 weeks. Some, however, may go through several weeks to months of feeling tired and/or depressed. Others develop severe bleeding problems. This complication, dengue hemorrhagic fever, is a very serious illness which can lead to shock (very low blood pressure) and is sometimes fatal, especially in children and young adults. So must be very very careful ok?

How to prevent yourself from getting 'kissed' by the mossies? [Muacks!]

Use a mosquito repellant containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Dress in protective clothing— think long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes. And because Aedes mosquitoes 'usually' bite during the day, be sure to use precautions especially during early morning hours before daybreak and in the late afternoon before dark. [ Meaning only go out at night and duting high-noon when it's scorching... kiddin'! ]

Other precautions include: keeping unscreened windows and doors closed and getting rid of areas where mosquitoes breed. Such as standing still water in flower pots, receptacles, birdbaths [ don't see alot of that one back here in Singapore... Usually, the poor birds have to take a dip in the long-kang... ], discarded tires, etc etc etc...

Wah... What a long entry... Think my brains starting to burn out liaoz... FEVER!!! [ Snaps fingers ala Peggy Lee's rendition of Fever... Hee hee... ]Oh ya... Just for the entry... Cos I'm too lazy to write one about the Lomography GreenSpace Cityhunt thingy... Dee, Uncle Kelvin and meself took part in the really fun competition last Sat. Read Dee's blog if you want more details... Pics are on www.theasylum.com.sg/gallery. Thanks for the pics Bel!

Ok... Back to the song...

Now you've listened to my story...
Here's the point that I have made...
Chicks were born to give you fever... [ more like mossies hatching lor... ]
Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade... [ Aiyoh.... Singapore lar... Centigrade!!! ]
They give you fever when you kiss them... [ More like they kiss you lor... Shameless vampires on wings! ]
Fever if you live and learn... [ Unless you kena the 2nd time lar. Wah... Damm suay lor... ]
Fever till you sizzle... [ Woo-hoo! ]
What a lovely way to burn...
What a lovely way to burn...
What a lovely way to burn!!!

NO BITES!