Dengue Fever in the Western Hemisphere

Extract

Dengue virus, an arthropod-borne viral agent, causes two distinct diseases: classic dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). There are four dengue virus serotypes: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. Although infection with dengue stimulates immunologic response to a serotype, there is no cross-immunity conferred. Hence, a person can potentially be infected with each serotype during his or her lifetime. An infected female Aedes mosquito transmits the virus from person to person while feeding. The disease, now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific, is spreading to new areas and causing explosive outbreaks. Because of the major impact on lives and local economies epidemics produce, rapid detection of dengue infection has become an important public health research issue. Recently developed serological procedures to detect dengue infections have shown great potential for field use.

Dengue virus is one of the emerging arthropod-borne viral agents of the century. This virus causes two distinct diseases, classic dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). Worldwide, DF and DHF have become major public health issues.¹ Dengue infections may produce nonspecific viral symptoms, such as headache, severe bone or joint and muscular pains, and rash. However, a more serious, sometimes fatal form of dengue infection, (DHF) may occur. In patients with DHF, hypovolemic shock may develop because of plasma leakage. This clinical complication which could be fatal, is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS).^1,2 With more than half of the world population at risk of…

ABBREVIATIONS: DF =dengue fever; DHF= dengue hemorrhagic fever; DSS= dengue shock syndrome; ELISA = enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; MAC=IgM antibody capture; PCR = polymerase chain reaction; RT-PCR= reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; VHF = viral hemorrhagic fever.