A student felt like she had been ‘hit by a bus’ when she became unwell with dengue fever on holiday.
Cara Pyperwent went on holiday to Bali, Indonesia, for two weeks when all of a sudden she began to feel ‘deathly unwell’.
The 22-year-old from Edinburgh, developed a high temperature, headaches, muscle pain, and extreme fatigue, all common symptoms of dengue.
In a video taken by her friend, Abbi Whorriskey, 22, the student can be seen waving her arms about looking ‘possessed’ as if she was swatting flies while asleep.
Ms Whorriskey joked she thought she might need to ‘phone a priest’ after seeing her friend’s ‘scary’ sleep movements.
Cara Pyperwent, 22, went on holiday to Bali, Indonesia , for two weeks when all of a sudden she began to feel ‘deathly unwell’
Ms Pyperwent developed a high temperature, headaches, muscle pain, and extreme fatigue, all common symptoms of dengue
Ms Pyperwent’s friend, Abbi Whorriskey, 22 (left) joined her on the holiday to Bali, but the pair did not know she had a killer virus
But at the time Ms Pyperwent didn’t realise she had dengue fever and thought it could just be a hangover so pushed herself to continue sight-seeing.
Ms Pyperwent, who is currently studying education at university, said: ‘It was hell at the time. I felt deathly unwell.
‘About two weeks in to our holiday I literally just got overcome with this random sickness.
‘I literally felt like I had been hit by a bus. My whole body just felt heavy and sore.
‘I thought I was just run down because of the time difference or that it was maybe from drinking.
‘I thought it was maybe just a hangover.
‘I was in shock when I woke up and saw the video Abbi took. It does scare me.
‘I don’t know if I was hallucinating in my dream or whatever, but that was one of the first days that I got this illness.
‘I don’t know if I was imagining flies in my dream but I’ve never moved in my sleep like that before. It was really bad.
‘My friend was terrified obviously, she thought she was going to have to call a priest.’
In a video taken by her friend, Abbi Whorriskey, 22, the student can be seen waving her arms about looking ‘possessed’ as if she was swatting flies while asleep. Ms Whorriskey joked she thought she might need to ‘phone a priest’ after seeing her friend’s ‘scary’ sleep movements
The student felt like she had been ‘hit by a bus’ when she became unwell with dengue fever
But at the time Ms Pyperwent didn’t realise she had dengue fever and thought it could just be a hangover so pushed herself to continue sight-seeing
Dengue is a potentially deadly virus passed to people by infected mosquitoes and was historically known as ‘breakbone fever’ in the 1700s because of the severe pain it can cause in the muscles and the joints, one of its symptoms.
It’s endemic to Central and South America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.
In most cases symptoms strike between four and 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Typically a dengue infection manifests as flu like symptoms, with patients suffering with a fever that lasts for between two and seven days — this may peak, reduce and then peak again during this time.
During the first days, this may be accompanied by facial redness.
Dengue is a potentially deadly virus passed to people by infected mosquitoes and was historically known as ‘breakbone fever’
Dengue is a potentially deadly virus passed to people by infected mosquitoes. It’s endemic to Central and South America, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia
In most cases symptoms strike between four and 10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito
Other common symptoms at this stage include a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain — giving the disease its bone-breaker’ moniker — nausea and vomiting and swollen glands.
A flat, red rash may appear over most of the body within three to seven days after the fever starts — thought to be caused by an immune system reaction to the virus. This is itchy is around a quarter of patients.
Although less common, bleeding gums may also be seen.
Ms Pyperwent said she put herself through ‘hell’ as she tried to continue enjoying and exploring her holiday while batting her symptoms.
She said: ‘I needed to sleep for 24 hours a day but because I was in Bali I wanted to push myself to go to the monkey forest and all that.
‘It started to get better five or six days after but it probably lasted around eight days.
‘Even when I thought I was getting better, I looked so bad that a waiter asked me if I was okay because I looked so sick.
‘I still tried to do the most I could when I was sick. I was just in a lot of pain and sleeping everywhere I could.
‘The rest of my time was unreal though, it was completely smooth.’
Ms Pyperwent said she put herself through ‘hell’ as she tried to continue enjoying and exploring her holiday while batting her symptoms
She is now hoping to warn other holidaymakers and backpackers to layer up, wear mosquito spray and rest as much as possible if they think they have dengue fever
She advises holiday makers to layer up and use mosquito spray to protect themselves
She is now hoping to warn other holidaymakers and backpackers to layer up, wear mosquito spray and rest as much as possible if they think they have dengue fever.
‘I think dengue fever is at its height right now,’ she said.
‘It doesn’t just happen in Bali though you can get it in lots of countries, it was just from a mosquito bite and mosquitoes love me.
‘I’m no stranger to mosquito bites so I was wearing mosquito spray but I’d definitely warn others to maybe just put on a few extra layers.
‘If you do feel like you have it, maybe look into getting an IV and try to rest up as much as possible.’
If you’re in a country where dengue is found, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, according to the NHS.
The best way to do this is by wearing long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, particularly during early morning and early evening; use insect repellent on your skin; close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens; sleep under a mosquito net treated with insecticide, including during the day.
There is no treatment for dengue, but you can help ease your symptoms by: resting, drinking plenty of fluids, taking paracetamol to help bring down your temperature and ease any pain.
But the NHS urges people to not not take anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen or aspirin. These can cause bleeding problems if you have dengue.
Brits with dengue symptoms who have been in an area where the disease is prevalent are advised to contact their GP or NHS 111 for an urgent appointment.
