The global pandemic of dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever: current status and prospects for the future.

Abstract

Dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever has been one of the most important resurgent tropical diseases in the past 17 years, with expanding geographic distribution of both the viruses and the mosquito vectors, increased frequency of epidemics, the development of hyperendemicity (co-circulation of multiple virus serotypes) and the emergence of dengue haemorrhagic fever in new areas. This paper briefly reviews the changing epidemiology of dengue, discusses some of the factors responsible for the recent resurgence, and reviews the current options for reversing the trend of emergent disease.