DG of Health Services issues warning on fever medication

The Director-General of Health Services has requested the public to abstain from using anti-allergic pain medication including aspirin for fever.

Issuing a statement, the Director-General of Health Services Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that cases of worsening of the illness after using such medication have been reported from several areas in the country.

Anti-allergic pain medications such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac Sodium, and Mefenamic Acid or steroidal medications such as Prednisolone, Methylprednisolone, Dexamethasone, should not be given to a patient who is suffering from fever, the doctor stated.

Use of such medication may worsen the illness and might prove deadly if administered to a patient with dengue, the Director-General pointed out in his statement.

Although in some districts, there has been a decline in the number of dengue cases, an increase in the number of dengue cases has been reported in some districts due to the monsoon rains, Jasinghe stated.

An increase in the number of dengue patients is reported from Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Galle, and Matara districts, the statement further read.