Karachi: In the month of September, four people died from dengue fever in Karachi, a viral disease that can be easily prevented by seeking to avoid mosquito bites. According to the monthly report in Sindh, over 1,098 individuals have been confirmed with dengue.
Following the rains, dengue fever has swept through several parts of the country. Nine individuals have passed away of the disease in the year, four of whom died this month. According to a report issued by the provincial health department on Monday, 113 new dengue cases were reported in Sindh in the last 24 hours, with 107 of them rising from Karachi.
Dengue fever cases in Sindh significantly elevated the monsoon rains. The rising trend in fevers has jammed major private and government hospitals throughout Karachi. To protect themselves from dengue mosquitoes, medical officials have advised the general public to wear full-sleeved shirts and utilize mosquito repellent lotion. Dengue fever has no vaccine or surgical intervention, and the only way to avoid it is to eliminate mosquitos. This will additionally assist in the prevention of other mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, which is widely prevalent today in flood-affected areas, chikungunya infection, and Zika fever.
If dengue fever is not managed, symptoms aggravate, likely to result in hemorrhage, shock, heart issues, and hepatic malfunction, a condition known as Dengue Shock Syndrome. It can eventually lead to death. As a result, once a person has contracted dengue, it is absolutely essential to seek immediate medical assistance in order to receive appropriate treatment and complete recovery from the viral fever.
According to interviews with several other infectious diseases experts, medicine professors, and gastroenterologists, papaya leaf juice has no significant role in the treatment of dengue infection and doesn’t have any possibility of increasing platelets in patients with dengue viral infections. Consumers warned that papaya leaf juice could cause severe diarrhea in dengue patients, who need liquid maintenance to avoid going into dengue shock, and advised people not to use herbal remedies because it could result in the death of some patients.
When asked if papaya leaf juice had any pharmacological properties in healing dengue fever, highly regarded infectious diseases expert and former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr. Faisal Sultan repeatedly denied it, saying papaya leaf juice had no part in dengue fever management.
Dr. Tasneem Ahsan, a renowned endocrinologist and former Executive Director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), also mentioned that there wasn’t any scientific evidence to back up any benefit of giving papaya leaf juice to dengue hemorrhagic fever patients. There have been several unverifiable case reports from endemic regions, but no proper scientific study has been conducted. Because platelets start rising on their own, it would be difficult to conclude that the elevation in a particular instance was influenced by papaya leaves unless there was a situation control.
Since there is no documented role and no comprehensive literature to support the significance of papaya leaves, doctors do not recommend it. However, if individuals inquire about it, they are allowed to consume them at their own risk. However, the benefits of consuming papaya leaves, in general, are remarkable.
By: Dr Ayesha Farrukh
