These photos look like I had my dream vacation in Bali. It was anything but that – here’s my dengue fever warning

A dance teacher described how she contracted dengue fever during a ten-day trip to Bali, which left her in excruciating pain and coughing up blood.

Sydney woman Anjana Chandran, 30, and her partner headed to the idyllic holiday island on On July 8th I went to a friend’s wedding and on July 18th I came back.

I was so careful, I was “I brushed my teeth with bottled water and only ate at places that had really good reviews, and I still got caught,” Chandran told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, dengue fever is a virus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and can be fatal in rare cases.

“It’s strange because I haven’t seen any mosquito bites at all,” said Ms Chandran.

‘Other people complained a bit more, but it was a very nice resort. We stayed in air-conditioned rooms and I always used bug spray.

“It’s so frustrating. Everyone else at the hotel for the wedding was fine.”

Ms Chandran said that at first she only suffered from chills and muscle aches, which she dismissed as a hangover, but that after a few days she was ‘lying in bed crying’ with her whole body in excruciating pain.

She ended up in the emergency room after she started bleeding when she went to the toilet.

Anjana Chandran, 30, and her partner left for Bali on July 8 to attend a friend’s wedding and returned on July 18

Ms Chandran said she and her partner landed in Seminyak on the island’s south coast, near the capital Denpasar, and then headed to Kuta.

‘The wedding was the only reason we went, that’s why it was such a short trip.

‘We went to Seminyak for two days and then we went to the wedding for about four days. We stayed at a resort, which seemed fine.

She explained that after the wedding the group had booked a villa about 20 minutes away, and that she started experiencing symptoms there.

It was around the 14th. I was just tired at first and I thought, we’ve had a lot of weddings, there’s a lot of drinking involved, a lot of dancing. So I thought, look, it’s probably just that.

‘After that I felt a bit more feverish, not cold or flu, but I had muscle pain. My friends said, “Just rest, sleep it off, take some Panadol.” So I took that with some food.’

‘But that night I had severe chills, sweating, a high fever, and felt as if someone had knocked me out, as if my whole body was in a fight.

‘We have friends who used to be doctors… I would take a Panadol or a Nurofen. Later I found out that you can’t take those with dengue.’

I would feel good for four hoursBut then, literally after five hours, I collapsed again.’

The Sydney dance teacher said she still struggles to walk about three weeks later

Ms Chandran said her partner assured her she would be fine, so she tried to persevere.

“I was lying in bed crying and shaking because it was really painful. He said to me, ‘You’re fine.’ So I thought, ‘Maybe I’m overreacting.’

We were there for the groom and bride and I didn’t want to spoil it for themI just held it in and the doctors gave me anti-nausea drugs to treat the other symptoms.

She said that by July 17, the situation had become so bad that she was put on an IV.

‘They give you vitamins and electrolytes. I thought, maybe that would help and I would feel a lot better, because it was the groom’s birthday and I wanted to do something with him or her.’

‘I could go to a bird park with him, but I walked a few meters behind him because I couldn’t walk.

‘When I got back to the Airbnb, I had terrible stomach cramps and bruises all over.

‘The next morning we called a doctor because I just couldn’t get up and that was the day of my flight.

He took a bunch of blood and said they would test it in the lab, but Then he grabbed a rapid test for dengue.

‘As soon as he did it, it came back positive and he said something like, ‘They really only give false negatives, I“It’s very unlikely to be a false positive, but they had to confirm it with the lab.”

Ms Chandara (left) said she took all precautions when she went to Bali, such as brushing her teeth with bottled water and eating at reputable restaurants, but she still fell ill

The doctor then explained to Mrs. Chandran that dengue has three ‘phases’. The first phase is pain in the body. That is why it is also called ‘breakbone fever’.

In the second condition, the number of platelets drops dramatically, causing the blood to thin and can lead to serious complications.

This is followed by a recovery phase in which the body fights the virus.

‘After a few hours the blood counts came back and my platelets were at 50, when they should be above 150. So the doctor advised me to go to the hospital straight away.

“I called my family, and we have family doctors, and she said, ‘If you’re feeling healthy and well, you can just get on the plane and go straight to the emergency room when you land.’

She decided to do this because she wanted to be treated in an Australian hospital.

‘When I got on the plane, I noticed that there was blood in my stool, there was blood in my urine and my gums were bleeding profusely.

‘When I got to Australia I was also coughing up blood.’

After landing at around 6am, she went straight to the emergency department at Westmead in Sydney’s west, where they tested her platelets, which had dropped to 25.

‘It wasn’t until after 12 hours that I got a bed, they simply didn’t have enough rooms.

She spent a week in hospital when she returned to Sydney (pictured) after going straight to the emergency room when the plane landed

“They gave me an IV while I was sitting in the waiting room and they kept an eye on me. They did blood work and things like that.”

Doctors also gave her a platelet infusion, which brought her blood count back up to 30.

‘Then I was in hospital for a week. At one point they said I was the only active case of dengue in Australia.’

Further blood tests at the hospital revealed two other bacteria in her blood, which doctors said likely came from contaminated food or water.

‘They told me it was typhoid.o they had to wear a mask when they came to me. I also liked that there were fewer visitors.

‘My body is still very stiff. I have difficulty walking, but it is much better.

‘I’m a dance teacher, so I teach here in Sydney, and when I came back I had to cancel two or three workshops.

Ms Chandara said she tried to ‘hold it in’ for the couple, despite ‘crying in bed’ and feeling like she had been ‘beaten up’

“They basically told me not to move my body or do anything that would cause bruising or internal bleeding for one to two weeks.

‘The doctor has just given permission to go to America for a dance tour.’

Ms Chandran said she feels lucky to be recovering. Her advice to others travelling to Bali is to beware of mosquitoes.

“Make sure you wear insect repellent.”

‘Also book travel insurance. If my flight was a day later, I would have had to stay in Bali and go to the hospital there.’

ADVICE ON DENGUE FEVER

Dengue virus infection (commonly known as dengue fever or simply dengue) is caused by viruses that are spread by the bite of a mosquito. The mosquito species that transmit dengue are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

Symptoms usually include rash, fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. People also often report abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Although infection with just one of these viruses can make you sick, subsequent exposure to other strains can have more serious health consequences. In these cases, symptoms can also include the presence of blood in vomit, bleeding gums, and difficulty breathing.

Dengue infection must be confirmed by a blood test, but there are no specific treatments. Most people recover on their own, but staying hydrated is crucial.

Dengue occurs in about 100 countries.

One of the worst years on record was 2023, but the burden of dengue continues to grow. In the first four months of 2024, Indonesia reported three times as many dengue cases compared to the same period in 2023.

Dengue fever is spread by mosquitoes, but only by certain species (stock image)

Although there are over 40 mosquito species known or suspected in Australia that transmit local pathogens such as Ross River virus, there is generally no local dengue risk in Australia.

Although a vaccine is available, it is not recommended for short-term travelers. There are strict eligibility criteria for its use, so seek advice from a health professional.

For people traveling to Bali or other areas at risk of dengue, it is recommended to use insect repellent throughout the day.

Light-colored, loose-fitting clothing will help prevent mosquito bites (and keep you cool). Covering shoes can also help.

By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor and Chief Scientist at the University of Sydney for The Conversation.