Q: My 45 years old mother is suffering from fever for the last three days. She also has swelling in legs and pain in joints. She has taken Vizylac, Azimed-250, and Oximont-E (twice a day) for four days and Panacip-650 after every 6 hours. On complete blood test, malaria parasite identification test came negative. Her haemoglobin is 8.90, PCV - 28%, TLC - 3.7 thou/mm3, RBC count - 3.2 mill/mm3, eosinophils - 6.2% and platelets were seen in small clumps. Why is my mother suffering from fever and joint pain?

A:Fever with multiple joint pains and swelling, low TLC count seems to be a viral fever. It might be a dengue or chikungunya like viral illness. If possible, do dengue NS1 antigen/dengue serology. Also perform a blood culture. Repeat a platelet count. Watch out for any rash/bleeding tendency from nose, gums, urine or stool. Keep good hydration. Avoid aspirin or ibuprofen. She will need a detailed evaluation for anemia once her fever is better.