Dengue: A Re-Emerging Disease

Context: Denguefever (DF) is caused by anarbovirus, which transmitted tohumansthrough the bite of aninfected mosquito (Aedes species). Near 2.5 billion people are living in regions where the risk of transmission is high. Until the mid of 20th century, DF was restricted to special parts of tropical and subtropical regions. Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) was first reported in the 1950s when two epidemics happened in the Philippines and Thailand. Now, with international travels and climate changes, its geographical distribution has been changed and increased. Evidence Acquisition: We searched medical databases (PubMed and Scopus) from March 1960 to Feb 2015. The key words for the review of literature were as follows: dengue, dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever, epidemiology, transmission routes, clinical manifestation, treatment and prevention of dengue. Results: Upon the results from literature search, the researchers found that human is the main reservoir for this virus. There are four serotypes of virus. Infection with one serotype cannot protect human against the other three serotypes. Dengue fever begins suddenly with an onset of an influenza-like syndrome and sometimes progresses to severe form of the disease. Treatment is supportive and includes diminishing the fever and balancing fluids and electrolytes. Real-time polymerase chain reaction assays, IgM and IgG-ELISA, and the NS1 ELISA-based antigen assay are available for diagnosis of DHF. There is no FDA-approved vaccine. Mosquito control is the main way for the prevention of dengue. Conclusions: Dengue virus is not highly contagious and virus cannot be spread directly from person to person. Understanding the epidemiology, clinical manifestation, prompt diagnosis, suitable prevention routes such as mosquito control, and also coordinated effort in the community for disease control are important issues.