Fever in Monsoon: Which Test to Choose and When (Video)

Transcript

Can you tell dengue, malaria or typhoid just by fever?

Can you tell dengue, malaria or typhoid just by fever?

Fever in Flood Season

Here's how to pick the right test for fever during the monsoon, and a key tip you'll hear at the end.

Test timing matters

You can't rely on symptoms alone. The day count decides which test is most useful. In the first five days, dengue NS1 and a CBC are best. Any day, a malaria rapid test or blood smear works. Before antibiotics, a blood culture catches typhoid.

Dengue testing window

Think of each test as a camera. NS1 antigen shows up only in the first five days, then fades. From day five, your body makes IgM antibodies, which the lab can detect. A CBC with platelets and haematocrit is useful from the start and can be repeated as advised.

Home care while waiting

Write down the exact day and time the fever began. Check temperature morning and evening with a thermometer. Use only paracetamol for fever or pain, as directed. Keep sipping water, ORS, soups, lassi, or coconut water. Rest, and a lukewarm cloth can comfort you.

Note the day

Write down the day the fever started. The right test depends on it.

High fever threshold

A fever of 39 °C or higher signals urgent attention.

Urgent signs

If you notice any of these, call emergency right away: severe belly pain, repeated vomiting, bleeding from gums or nose, black stool, blood in vomit, drowsiness, confusion, cold clammy hands, breathlessness, fever 39 °C or more, fever lasting over three days, fever in a baby under three months, during pregnancy, or a seizure.

The one key tip

The single most useful habit: note the exact day your fever began and tell your doctor.

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Read the full guide

The full guide is on thecareonline.com. General information only, so check with your doctor for your own case.