Finding the Best Dengue Test: Your Guide to Accurate Diagnosis

Dengue fever is a common viral infection dominant in places with tropical and subtropical climatic conditions. According to a study, around 2.5 billion people reside in dengue-risk regions, with approximately 100 million new cases every year across the globe. Dengue fever is common in India as well. In 2021, India reported more than 1.93 lakh dengue cases across the country. Dengue fever spreads through the bite of a mosquito and not through contact with an infected person.

Dengue fever initiates with flu-like symptoms, but it can also progress to a more severe condition. Though no proper treatment is available for dengue, an early diagnosis of the disease helps in treating the disease with the current medications themselves. The diagnosis of dengue is made through a simple blood test. It is essential to get your dengue blood test done through a lab that produces reliable and accurate results and delivers reports timely.

Since dengue fever is a serious disease spread worldwide, let us discuss dengue and its test in detail. In this article, let's talk about the dengue fever test, when it is done, the price of the test, the need for a good test centre, the factors determining a good blood test centre, and how you can search for the best dengue test centre in your locality.

What is a dengue test?

Dengue fever refers to a viral infection that spreads by the bite of a mosquito. Dengue fever is not contagious. It does not spread from one person to another due to contact. Dengue fever is more common in places with tropical and subtropical climates like Southeast Asia, Africa, South and Central America, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. Dengue fever can be asymptomatic or may present with flu-like symptoms that include chills, fever, and headache. Dengue fever can develop into a serious condition known as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF is a life-threatening condition that can be characterised by damage to the blood vessels and shock. A dengue fever test generally analyzes your blood sample for the presence of dengue fever infection. The dengue fever blood test can either look for the virus itself or the antibodies of the virus in your blood sample. Dengue fever blood test is also commonly known as the dengue virus antibody or dengue virus by PCR. 

Why is a dengue test conducted?

As the name suggests, a dengue fever blood test is done to check whether or not the dengue viral infection infects you. This blood test is generally recommended for people with dengue fever symptoms or who have recently travelled to places where dengue fever is common. The major signs and symptoms of a dengue viral infection include:

• Sudden high fever (approximately as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit)
• The appearance of rashes on the face
• Swollen glands
• Muscle and joint pain
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe headache
• Vomiting
• Fatigue 
• Nausea 

As discussed earlier, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) can lead to more severe symptoms. These symptoms include:

• Bleeding gums
• Severe pain in the abdominal region
• Vomiting
• Bleeding nose
• Presence of blood in the urine or stools
• Occurrence of bleeding under the skin that looks like bruises
• Cold or clammy skin
• Difficulty in breathing
• Restlessness 

Why is it important to find the best dengue centre?

A dengue test centre will collect your blood sample to test for the presence of the virus or the antibodies against the virus in your sample. You must choose your dengue test centre carefully. It is important to choose the best blood test centre for various reasons that include:

• You get reliable and accurate results
• Your results are cross verified by an experienced doctor
• You get your test reports as early as possible

What is the dengue test price?

Typically the price of a dengue test varies depending on the lab you chose and the place where you live. The dengue test price at Redcliffe labs is around Rs 600/- across the country.

What factors should you consider while finding the best dengue test centre?

The best dengue test centre is the one that is a certified laboratory and pledges to produce accurate results. Various factors make a diagnostic centre the best centre in the city. Redcliffe labs is a highly recommended dengue test centre because of the various factors like: 

• Feasibility to schedule tests: The best dengue test centre allows you to choose the time most convenient for you to collect samples.
• Easy test booking: The procedure to book a test must be easy, hassle-free, and convenient for the general public.
• Phlebotomists are fully vaccinated: All Phlebotomists and employees working in the lab must be vaccinated and safe.
• Free home sample collection: The blood test centre must provide the sample collection facility from your house without any extra charges.
• Timely Reports: Depending on the urgency of the test, the blood test centre must ensure that they deliver your test reports in time, that is, within 24 hrs of collection of yourzf blood sample.
• Phlebotomists follow safety regulations: All Phlebotomists and employees working in the diagnostic centre must follow the safety standards set by the government for COVID-19.
• Receive reports through email and WhatsApp: The blood test centre must make the collection of test reports easy for its patients by providing e-reports of the blood test via email and WhatsApp.
• Reporting as per ISO and NABL standards: The test reports must be prepared by the blood test centre keeping the ISO and NABL standards in mind.
• Free Doctor Consultation: It is always beneficial if the blood test centre provides free doctor consultations so that the analysis of the test results is made easy and more convenient for you.
• Accurate Reports: The blood test conducted at the centre must use the latest and most reliable technologies to conduct the test so that the test reports are accurate and reliable.

How to find the best dengue test centre in your locality?

With everything made available on the internet, finding the best dengue test centre in your city is a matter of seconds. Follow some simple steps below to search for the best dengue test centre in your locality.

• Take your mobile or laptop with an active internet connection.
• Open Google and search for the ‘Best blood test lab near me.’
• From the various hits given by google, choose the dengue test centre based on its rating, review, and facilities available at the centre.

Takeaway

Dengue fever is common in India as well. If left undiagnosed or if proper care and treatment are not given, dengue fever can become a serious and life-threatening condition. Now that you know about dengue fever and its symptoms get a dengue fever test done if you feel the symptoms of dengue in yourself or your close ones. Dengue fever test is a simple blood test that detects the virus or antigens against the virus in your blood test. Make sure that you get yourself diagnosed timely so that timely treatment can be done to avoid the life-threatening and severe symptoms of DHF.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• When should I get a dengue test done?

You must think of getting a dengue test done if you have a high-grade fever for around 4-5 days.

• Which is the best fruit for treating dengue?

Dengue fever reduces the count of platelets in your blood. Papaya is the most efficient fruit that increases your platelet count really fast.

• Which is the first test done for dengue fever?

The first test done for the diagnosis of dengue fever is IgM/IgG serological test.