It’s Dengue Season! How Can You Protect Your Family?

The rainy season is upon us and we all know what it means – it’s Dengue season again. I suffered from Dengue twice already – once when I was in high school and the second time when I was in college. Thankfully, I didn’t need blood transfusion when I was admitted. Nevertheless, it is something I don’t want my family to experience. So what can we do to protect our family from Dengue?

First things first, what is Dengue?

Dengue is an infection borne by mosquitoes. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical countries like the Philippines. Based on my experience, when you have Dengue, you feel like you just have the flu. As in you have really high fever, your body is aching everywhere, and you don’t feel like eating. What prompted my parents to bring me to the emergency room is my lack of appetite and frequent nosebleeds. If not addressed right away, Dengue can develop into a lethal illness called Severe Dengue or Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

There is no specific medication for Dengue, but early detection can lower the risk of death to below 1%. Still, the thought that there is still a small percentage of fatality even when detected and treated early is scary.

So, what can we do?

Our best armor against Dengue is to prevent the mosquitoes carrying the infection from residing in our homes. A few things you can do:

  • Get rid of stagnant water. If you keep fresh flowers on vases and flower pots, be sure to change/remove the water in your vases and flower pot plates every other day.
  • If you must store water, be sure that your containers have lids.
  • Keep the surroundings clean and always dispose your trash properly.

I don’t like using the mosquito sprays we see in the grocery to get rid of those bugs since I don’t want to expose the minis to the health risks posed by these sprays. Instead, I turn to natural products that ward off mosquitoes as well. My favorites are:

100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Oil

Human Heart Nature Bug Spray
Photo from Human Heart Nature

Human Heart Nature’s 100% natural bug shield is packed with a powerful punch that will surely make mosquitoes stay away. It is infused with soy bean oil and eucalyptus oil that will shoo mosquitoes away and keep you smelling good.

If you don’t like using oil, they have another variant of this mixture that comes in lotion form:

100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Lotion

100% Natural Bug Shield DEET-Free Lotion
Photo from Human Heart Nature

If you or your child do get bit by a mosquito or an ant, I highly recommend applying Human Heart Nature’s Sunflower Beauty Oil. I wrote about that product in my post here. You can order all these products online through the Human Heart Nature Website or from a branch near you.

I am also thinking of buying plants that repel mosquitoes. Here are some easy-to-grow plants that can repel mosquitoes in your home:

  • Citronella
  • Horsemint
  • Marigolds
  • Ageratum
  • Catnip

What are you doing to protect your family from Dengue? Share your tips in the comments section below.

NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. Everything written here is from the author’s personal experience. Just to be sure, consult with your doctor first before trying new products.

Kimberley Reyes

Kimberley Reyes is an Online Business Manager for entrepreneurs who are ready to get off the hamster wheel and step into their CEO shoes. On top of helping her clients get organized and scale their businesses, she is also happily busy raising her five kids with her firefighter husband.

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. Tiger Bonilla

    Sadly and frustratingly, not all local doctors are aware of the latest standards in managing dengue. The new standards highlight the risk of fluid overload, de-emphasize platelet normalization, and revises the discharge criteria.

    Consider this: my son is recovering from dengue and for 3 straight days now has had no fever, has gained appetite, has good clinical condition, has stable HCT and increasing platelet count for the past two days — 81 (6 am), 90 (2 pm), 89 (6 am), 135 (2 pm). All these are ground for discharge according to the new standards. Doctors here at St. Camillus Pasig, however, insists that we wait for the 4th day AND for a platelet count of 150 (x109/L)! They would even continue the IV drip, despite the danger of fluid overload. Attending physician, Dr. Javalera says the 150 platelet count is the standard “protocol” being followed by all physicians, but nowhere can I find 150 (x109/L) being set as the standard for discharge! Despite reasoning with her, she refuses to give us a proper discharge (only a HAMA, if we insist). Meanwhile, our hospital bill continues to rack up, our time is tied up at the hospital and we are all getting sick because of lack of rest and sleep in a hospital environment.

    1. Kim Reyes

      Oh no. 🙁 Can’t you request for another doctor’s opinion about this? Or don’t you have the right to choose to get discharged? Maybe tell them you’d like another doctor to check your child?

  2. Peachy A.

    Great tips! I’m thinking of buying Citronella and putting it inside the house.

  3. patriciacuyugan

    I’m so paranoid with mosquitoes so we always have insect repellent at home. HHN’s Bug Shield is one of my faves.

  4. I’m a Human Nature dealer and we have been using their products since 2008. I find Bug Shield very effective. I just wish it didn’t smell too much like citronella though.

  5. How much is this? I tried different anti-mosquito products like lotion, spray and patch. Super takot sa dengue din. hehehe!

    1. Kim Reyes

      I forgot the exact price. You can check out their website for the prices. You can order online rin so you don’t have to look for a branch near your place. 🙂

  6. Kat | Petite Momma

    We use these, too. 🙂 Fave ako ng mosquitoes. If you put me in a room with them and a couple of people, ako yung unang kinakagat!

    It’s also great to use the oil under your sink to prevent ipis – I just put some on a tissue or cotton square then place it in a corner.

    1. Kim Reyes

      Yes, I heard nga that there are people na favorite ng mosquitoes. 😀 I noticed that too when I’m alone w/ my husband in our living room. He won’t get bites pero ako ang dami na.

      I didn’t know we can use that to ward off roaches! I’ll try that nga. Thanks for the tip!

  7. nanaystrip

    We’re also having some mosquito issues these past days. We are also using HHN bug shield and applying it at bedtime has become one of our rituals. Thanks for sharing this very helpful post and may we all have dengue-free rainy days ahead.

    1. Kim Reyes

      Yes, it’s really hard to have dengue so very aggressive ako about protecting my family – the kids especially.

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