Magic Home Remedies and Treatment for Dengue Can Be Harmful: Delhi Medical Council

With the death of 25-year-old girl Monika from Sagarpur near Delhi Cantonment due to dengue fever, the death toll this season has touched 30.

Delhi has reported nearly 4,000 positive dengue cases since the beginning of the year with the maximum coming in this month. While doctors have cautioned people against self-medication and delaying proper treatment, they have now appealed to the Health Department to issue strict warnings against use of magic or home remedies to fight dengue.

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The death toll in Delhi has risen to 21 and they all died due to dengue shock syndrome leading to multi-organ failure, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital official said.

“Aloe vera, papaya leaves, goat milk and giloy are not medicines to either protect or treat dengue. There is no scientific proof that magic remedies and herbs can improve the condition of patient diagnosed with dengue,” said Delhi Medical Council registrar Dr. Girish Tygai.

He said, “The Health Department should make it clear to people that they should seek immediate treatment in case they have symptoms of dengue. Magic cures/remedies and home treatment can be harmful.”

Dr. S.K. Sharma, head of medicine department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), “There is no scientific evidence or research based on which it can be conclusively said that these herbs and fruits can be effective. For prescribing something like this, there has to be a proper trial on their use.”

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There is no harm in having goat milk, papaya etc. but it should not be considered as mode of treatment for dengue. There is no study which favors the claims.

“Fatality rate in dengue cases is just 0.3 percent and 99 percent of patients can be cured with proper treatment and care at home. But treatment has to be standardized and offered without delay,” said Dr. Anil Goswami, assistant professor at the Center for Community Medicine, AIIMS.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said that people with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease need to be more cautious.

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Though it is claimed that goat milk helps in increasing platelet count, which drops alarmingly in dengue patients but there is no proper scientific evidence.

“Hypertension, for instance, is characterized by blood pressure higher than the normal range. If a hypertensive patient suffers from dengue, a disease characterized by a drop in the blood pressure of the body, warning signs of complications may go unnoticed since his BP will still be within the normal range. In addition, if a dengue patient suffers from obesity, he runs a higher risk of capillary leakage as compared to a person with a normal body mass index,” said a release.

No Scientific Proof That Herbs Such as Papaya Leaves can Cure Dengue: AIIMS
Fatality rate in dengue cases is just 0.3% and 99% of patients can be cured with proper treatment and care at home.

Source-Medindia