Dengue Test Price in Pakistan: PKR 2,100 at Marham Lab

Dengue is a viral infection spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. WHO describes it as more common in tropical and subtropical climates, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas, and notes the mosquitoes that spread it bite during the day. A dengue test looks for the virus, or your body's response to it, in a blood sample. At Marham Lab a dengue NS1 antigen test costs PKR 2,100.

Two Things to Read Before You Book

Both of these save lives, and both are widely misunderstood in Pakistan.

Do not take Brufen, Disprin or any similar painkiller. WHO states that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen and aspirin should be avoided in dengue because they can increase the risk of bleeding. Paracetamol is the medicine WHO names for pain. Reaching for ibuprofen at the first high fever is the most common and most dangerous self-treatment mistake made here.

The dangerous phase usually starts after the fever breaks. WHO is explicit that the symptoms of severe dengue often come after the fever has gone away. Feeling better is not the same as being better. These are the warning signs WHO lists, and they mean hospital now, not a lab booking:

• Severe abdominal pain
• Persistent vomiting
• Rapid breathing
• Bleeding gums or nose
• Blood in vomit or stool
• Fatigue, restlessness or feeling weak
• Being very thirsty
• Pale and cold skin

WHO says people with these symptoms should seek care immediately.

Which Dengue Test, and When

This is where most money is wasted, because the three tests answer different questions and the right one depends on which day of fever you are on.

WHO states that laboratory testing for arboviruses can be done through direct detection methods, including molecular detection and antigen testing such as rapid diagnostic tests, within the first week of illness. Antibody tests work differently: they detect the immune response your body builds, which appears later rather than at the start.

The practical rule: if the fever started in the last few days, NS1 is the test. If you are further into the illness, or your NS1 was negative but symptoms continued, your doctor may ask for IgM instead. Booking an antibody test on day one, or an NS1 test in the second week, is how people end up with a negative report and a real infection.

Follow the prescription. If your doctor wrote a specific test, book that one.

Symptoms and Timing

WHO notes most people with dengue have mild symptoms or none at all, and usually get better in one to two weeks. When symptoms do appear, WHO says they usually begin 4 to 10 days after infection and last 2 to 7 days.

The symptoms WHO lists are high fever up to 40°C, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands and rash. Pain behind the eyes and the deep muscle and joint ache are the ones that distinguish it from ordinary viral fever, which is why dengue is also called break-bone fever.

WHO also notes that after recovery, people who have had dengue may feel fatigued for several weeks. That is expected rather than a sign something is wrong.

A Second Infection Is More Dangerous Than the First

This is worth knowing in a country where dengue returns every year.

WHO states plainly that individuals infected for the second time are at greater risk of severe dengue, and lists previous infection with the dengue virus as a risk factor for developing the severe form. So having had dengue before is a reason to take a new fever more seriously, not less.

What Happens After a Positive Result

WHO is direct: there is no specific treatment for dengue. Pain can be managed with paracetamol, and for severe dengue, hospitalisation is often necessary.

WHO's advice if you have dengue is to rest, drink plenty of liquids, use paracetamol for pain, avoid ibuprofen and aspirin, and watch for severe symptoms, contacting your doctor as soon as you notice any.

Because treatment is supportive, care is really about monitoring. Doctors commonly repeat a [complete blood count](/labs/tests/cbc-test-price) during the illness to watch how the blood counts move, which is why a CBC at PKR 560 often accompanies a dengue test rather than replacing it.

How to Prepare

No preparation is needed and you do not need to fast.

Tell the phlebotomist which day of fever you are on. It is the single most useful piece of information for interpreting the result, and it is the thing people most often leave out.

What Happens During the Test

A trained phlebotomist takes a small blood sample from a vein in your arm using a fine needle. It takes under five minutes, and a brief sting or slight bruising afterwards is normal. In Lahore the sample can be collected at your home, which matters when someone has a high fever and should be resting rather than sitting in a collection queue.

اردو میں

ڈینگی ایک وائرل انفیکشن ہے جو مچھر کے کاٹنے سے پھیلتا ہے۔ یہ مچھر دن کے وقت کاٹتے ہیں۔ علامات میں تیز بخار، شدید سر درد، آنکھوں کے پیچھے درد، جوڑوں اور پٹھوں میں درد، متلی اور جسم پر سرخ دانے شامل ہیں۔

دو باتیں سب سے اہم ہیں۔

پہلی۔ بخار میں بروفن یا ڈسپرین ہرگز استعمال نہ کریں۔ عالمی ادارہ صحت کے مطابق ڈینگی میں یہ دوائیں خون بہنے کا خطرہ بڑھا دیتی ہیں۔ صرف پیراسیٹامول استعمال کریں۔

دوسری۔ خطرناک مرحلہ اکثر بخار اترنے کے بعد شروع ہوتا ہے۔ اگر پیٹ میں شدید درد ہو، بار بار قے آئے، مسوڑھوں یا ناک سے خون آئے، سانس تیز چلے، یا جسم ٹھنڈا اور پیلا پڑ جائے تو فوراً ہسپتال جائیں۔ ٹیسٹ کا انتظار نہ کریں۔

ٹیسٹ کے بارے میں ایک ضروری بات۔ اگر بخار کو چند دن ہی ہوئے ہیں تو این ایس ون ٹیسٹ کروائیں۔ اگر زیادہ دن گزر چکے ہیں تو ڈاکٹر آئی جی ایم ٹیسٹ تجویز کرتے ہیں۔ غلط وقت پر غلط ٹیسٹ کروانے سے رپورٹ نیگیٹو آ سکتی ہے حالانکہ انفیکشن موجود ہو۔ مرہم لیب میں این ایس ون کی قیمت اکیس سو روپے ہے اور لاہور میں گھر سے نمونہ لینے کی سہولت موجود ہے۔

Final Thoughts

Two things decide how a dengue illness goes, and neither is the test itself. The first is what you take for the fever: paracetamol, never ibuprofen or aspirin. The second is what you do when the fever breaks, because that is when severe dengue announces itself and when people most often assume the worst has passed. Book NS1 early, take the report to a doctor, keep fluids up, and treat abdominal pain, vomiting or any bleeding as a reason to go to hospital immediately.