With onset of monsoon, dengue cases are on the rise, affecting more than thousands and its life threatening too. It is mandatory to adopt preventive measures to keep yourself and family safe. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. There are four distinct serotypes of the dengue virus (DEN 1, DEN 2, DEN 3 and DEN 4. This mosquito-borne disease drastically reduces blood platelets count, leading to fever, severe joint pain and skin rashes among other symptoms. This disease is also known as bone breaking fever because of severe joint ache.
Lab test for Dengue : The NS1 antigen is typically detectable within 1 to 2 days following infection and up to 9 days following symptom onset. The NS1 antigen may be negative if specimen is collected immediately following dengue virus infection (<24-48 hours) and is rarely detectable following 9 to 10 days of symptoms.
IgM and IgG antibodies tests for dengue may show positive if antibodies detected in an initial blood sample means that the person became infected with dengue virus within recent weeks. If the IgG is positive but the IgM is low or negative, then it is likely that the person had an infection sometime in the past while there are various treatments available on early detection, a known home remedy which works like miracle is drinking the juice of tender papaya leaves.
So how effective is papaya leaf juice really ? Papaya leaf is rich in enzymes like papain and chymopapain, which aid digestion, prevent bloating and other digestive disorders. Papaya leaves also contain high amounts of vitamins A, C, E, K, and B and minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium magnesium and iron. Though speculation around the impact of papaya leaves for the treatment of dengue continues, certain studies have shown that papaya leaf juice contributes significantly in the production of platelets, thus increasing the platelet count.
It has been proved both in modern medicine and Ayurveda that papaya leaf juice is beneficial. 30ml of fresh papaya leaf juice three to four times a day helps in increasing the platelet count as treatment of dengue. Studies have been conducted in Malaysia as well as Thailand about the benefits of papaya leaf for dengue patients. So, there’s good enough evidence to show the beneficial effects of papaya juice in the treatment of dengue. It is an ancient home remedy, being followed for ages. Besides, it has no side effects to be worried about.