COIMBATORE: Medical experts have advised parents not to take to self-medication but provide immediate medical care for their children in case of fever.
Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) is also known as Leukopenia Syndrome. This disease is caused by SFTS Virus (SFTSV).
The medical world considers this as an emerging infectious disease, and it has a fatality rate ranging between 12 percent to 30 percent. A person suffering FSTS will have vomiting, diarrhoea, multiple organ failure, low platelet count and elevated liver enzyme levels.
Though there is no proper medicine available for a cure, experts opine that medical care on time could arrest the aggravation of the disease.
“Blood or platelet transfusion is not the final treatment, but with other supportive treatment, transfusion of blood or platelet will arrest the disease gradually. Supportive treatment to reduce the body temperature and fever coupled with adequate food and rest will restore the patient’s health. Simultaneously, the platelet count has to be increased to maintain a better immune system and to avoid internal injury,” said Dr Haznath MK, Pediatric Specialist.
Dr Haznath also said that parents do not have to worry about anything except hospitalising their child if found with any kind of fever. “Hospitals having ICU and blood transfusion facilities would be an ideal hospital to cure your child with SFTS,” added Haznath.
She also said that neglecting fever is a dangerous practice among people, and this attitude should change.”I have seen may people coming to medical stores asking for some tablet to cure fever, cough, headache, vomiting etc. I have been advising my patients not to do so, as you may not know the real reason behind it. The vomiting or fever may just be a symptom of another disease, but by consuming a common tablet, you can suppress it for a short period. But soon the real disease in you will surface. But by this time, the disease might have caused maximum destruction in your system. This should be avoided not just in SFTS cases alone, but in all cases,” added Haznath.