Infectious Disease >> Dengue

What is it?

Dengue is the most important arbovirosis caused by the carrier mosquito Aedes aegypti bite mainly. It occurs in two forms: Dengue Fever and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS). Dengue Fever is a severe, flu-like illness where as Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)/DSS is a more severe form of disease, which may cause death. In 2005, dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans; its global distribution is comparable to that of malaria, and an estimated 2.5 billion people live in areas at risk for epidemic transmission. Each year, tens of millions of cases of DF occur and, depending on the year, up to hundreds of thousands of cases of DHF. The case-fatality rate of DHF in most countries is about 5%, but this can be reduced to less than 1% with proper treatment and preventive actions.