The Dengue Burden: Analyzing its Social, Economic and Epidemiological Trends

Washington, DC, November 7, 2002 (PAHO) -- Dengue has become a major international public health problem, with a dramatic expansion in recent decades. The mosquito that transmits dengue is found in nearly 100 tropical countries. Every year, there are between 50 and 100 million new infections, with 250,000 to 500,000 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal. In view of the difficulties and the expenditures faced by countries with national programs to fight the mosquito, a vaccine against dengue would offer a possible speedy solution to control the problem globally.

Fifty experts from different countries, including Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela, El Salvador, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, met at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to review, analyze and prepare proposals on how to reduce the social, economic and epidemiological burden of dengue. The meeting was convened by PAHO, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative. It continues a working group that met in 2001 in Vietnam for the same purpose.

One of the objectives of the meeting was to facilitate guidelines for proposals to study the dengue burden and to define three study sites to evaluate existing systems of national notification and data collection of data over three years, and four community-based surveillance sites.

In the Americas, where vector control measures had succeeded in eliminating the mosquito vector from most of Latin America, re-infestation of tropical regions with the vector Aedes aegypti now puts over 300 million urban dwellers at risk. Resulting epidemics provide the opportunity for the four dengue serotypes to move between countries and sub-regions, increasing the risk.

To reduce the burden of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever an overall strategy is needed to plan regional and national programs that range from the use of chemicals to kill mosquito larvae to improvements of water and health services. Also needed are better programs for surveillance of the disease, transmission of the virus, and training and emergency preparedness.

There are various ways the countries can attack dengue. One of them is to promote research related to control of this disease. PAHO is promoting a Small Grants Program for operations research in tropical diseases, among which dengue occupies an central place.

Tropical diseases continue to be a challenge for science and for public health. Malaria, dengue, Chagas' disease, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis are only some of the diseases with a heavy burden in the Americas. The small grants are intended to promote and support the development of research related to control of these diseases. The initiative is directed at junior investigators for work in endemic areas, preferably graduate students in health and health professionals linked to control programs.

The aim is for this applied research, based on sound methodological principles, to serve as scientific support to the process of definition of health policies. The intent of these initiatives-- the workshop of experts and the search for new researchers and of new proposals - is to coordinate efforts of governments, institutions, and communities in the fight against the progress of these tropical diseases.

For more information on the subsidies, see www.paho.org/english/hcp/hct/res/grants-vii.htm.

PAHO, which also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization, was established in 1902. PAHO Member States include all 35 countries in the Americas. France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States. PAHO is celebrating 100 years of work with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the living standards of their peoples.

For more information, please contact: Daniel Epstein, Office of Public Information, (202) 974-3459, e-mail: epsteind@paho.org.