How do you recognize and respond to dengue fever symptoms in children in Bali?

Dengue in Bali tends to start like a lot of childhood fevers: a temperature that climbs quickly and doesn't come down much with the usual fever medicine. Older children will often complain of a headache, an ache behind the eyes, and sore, tired joints and muscles. A pink, blotchy rash sometimes appears on the chest and arms a day or two in, along with mild nausea or a loss of appetite. Babies and toddlers can't describe what they're feeling, so watch for a baby who is unusually fussy, feeding poorly, sleeping far more than normal, or simply not acting like themselves during a fever. Bleeding gums, nosebleeds, bruising for no clear reason, ongoing vomiting, severe stomach pain, or sudden drowsiness after the fever drops are signs of a more serious case and need urgent attention rather than a wait-and-see approach.

If you suspect dengue, focus on keeping your child hydrated at home: offer water, oral rehydration solution, or diluted juice in small, frequent sips if they don't want much at once. Doctors typically recommend paracetamol over ibuprofen or aspirin for the fever, since NSAIDs can raise the risk of bleeding in dengue. Watch closely during the day or so after the fever breaks, when a child can look like they're improving but is actually at higher risk of complications. Because the same mosquitoes biting one family member are often biting everyone else in the house, it's a good moment to check how to mosquito-proof your home in Bali so the rest of the family stays protected too.

Any suspected dengue in a child is a reason to see a doctor or clinic for a blood test, since it's the platelet count and other markers that confirm the diagnosis and show how serious it is, not the symptoms alone. Clinics across Bali are used to testing for dengue and will often want to recheck your child's blood every day or two during the illness, even if the first results look mild, so keep every follow-up appointment. If things get worse, especially bleeding, repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain, or a child who becomes unusually drowsy or hard to wake, go straight to a hospital instead of waiting for the next scheduled visit. It helps to know ahead of time when a dengue case needs hospital care, and how dengue compares to other fevers like typhoid fever that also circulate in Bali.