KUALA LUMPUR: Healthcare professionals and consumers must be aware of the various phases of dengue attacks which present different symptoms.
Failure to identify these could possibly lead to death, warns Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society vice-president Bharati Suresh Chand.
She said there are several areas where information on dengue is lacking and this is where most healthcare professionals and consumers overlook the symptoms of the disease.
“Many patients, when they have a fever, only know about the high fever symptoms of dengue. But there is a phase in dengue called the critical phase that comes after the febrile phase.
“When you go into the critical phase, your system shuts down and there is no fever. So there is a possibility when a patient walks into the clinic or pharmacy, and we as healthcare professionals only look for the fever, we may exclude dengue,” she said during a panel discussion at the 'Unveiling of the Southeast Asia Dengue Survey' programme yesterday.
The febrile phase, lasting from three to seven days, is when the patient develops a sudden onset of high fever, which is often accompanied by headache, myalgia, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Guests at the event, which was organised by Allied Against Dengue, were also told that 80 per cent of the 500 Malaysian respondents surveyed were worried about dengue but only a quarter of them felt prepared or understood the disease.
According to the Southeast Asia Dengue Survey, commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, despite the widespread concern, understanding of the risks, symptoms and management of dengue was severely lacking.
“Just over half of individuals surveyed described themselves as knowledgeable in recognising the symptoms and only 33 per cent are aware that there is no cure,” the survey said.
This particular dengue survey is a first-of-its-kind, commissioned by GSK Consumer Healthcare, and its results have prompted the public to notice how crucial dengue awareness really is.
In an effort to address the educational needs across the region, four new partners are joining the mission to increase advocacy on dengue prevention and management through engagement, empowerment and education.
The partners are UCSI University Malaysia, Caring Pharmacy Group Berhad, Apex Pharmacy Marketing and MIMS Health Today.
Also present at the event were UCSI deputy vice chancellor (academic and research) Associate Prof Dr Yeong Siew Wei, Guardian Health and Beauty Sdn Bhd marketing director Christina Low, Cedric Chua from Apex Pharmacy Marketing and Laura Lai from Caring Pharmacy Group Bhd.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Ravindran Naidu said the media plays a major role in disseminating the information to the public.
“We should begin from schools so the children know how to control, prevent, and take action when dengue strikes.
“The public, healthcare professionals and pharmacists need to constantly keep a lookout for the signs and symptoms of dengue,” said Dr Ravindran.