Papaya and dengue

Sir,

The recent article on papaya and dengue is very interesting.[1] The possible property of papaya to increase platelet count and its possible clinical usefulness in dengue management should be further discussed. In fact, dengue is a tropical infection that is highly prevalent in Southeast and South Asia. There is still no specific drug for management of dengue. In fact, there are several recent reports showing clinical usefulness of papaya for dengue. A good case report was firstly published by Ahmad et al.[2] A further standard clinical trial by Subenthiran et al. also confirmed the clinical usefulness of papaya for dengue patients.[3] The efficacy of papaya extract for increasing platelet count is confirmed in those reports.[2,3] Furthermore, a recent report by Senthilvel et al. also reported an additional finding on the antiviral property of papaya.[4] Nevertheless, for actual application of papaya for management of dengue patients, there are several points to be discussed. First, the required dosage of papaya is still a myth. Most reports used papaya extract without exact quantification. Indeed, in Thailand and Laos, where the highest prevalence of dengue can be seen, the local population routinely ingest papaya, but the problem of dengue is still highly prevalent.