Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever
Definition Dengue hemorrhagic
fever is a severe, potentially fatal infection that occurs when someone with
immunity to one type of Dengue virus is infected by a different type. It is
spread by certain mosquitoes (Aedes
aegypti) which bite primarily during the day.
Alternative names Hemorrhagic
dengue; Dengue shock syndrome; Philippine hemorrhagic fever; Thai hemorrhagic
fever;
Over the past 3 decades there has been a dramatic global
increased in the frequency of DF, DHF, & DSS and their epidemics, with a
concomitant increase in disease incidence.
Dengue
is a mosquito-borne infection which in recent years has become a major
international public health concern. Dengue is found in tropical and
sub-tropical regions around the world, predominantly in urban and semi-urban
areas.
Dengue
hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a potentially lethal complication, was first
recognized in the 1950s during the dengue epidemics in the
There are four distinct,
but closely related, viruses that cause dengue. Recovery from infection by
one provides lifelong immunity against that serotype but confers only partial
and transient protection against subsequent infection by the other three. There
is good evidence that sequential infection increases the risk of more serious
disease resulting in DHF.
