Proceedings of the dengue symposium at the 9th international congress of tropical pediatrics.

摘要

Dengue is the most important mosquito-borne viral disease. With four different serotypes, it is a burden throughout tropical and subtropical regions and a potential threat to almost half of the world's population. Recent studies estimate that 50-100 million people are infected each year, of whom about 500,000 develop dengue haemorrhagic fever - a severe form of the disease - and 22,000 of whom die. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is also a leading cause of hospita-lisation, placing tremendous pressure on strained medical resources, with an associated major economic and societal impact. Many factors have contributed to the recent dramatic rise in the number of cases of dengue fever, including increased urbanisation and travel. The heavy burden of dengue can only be lifted by strong cooperation between international institutions and agencies to create a new strategy targeting prevention of deaths, reducing morbidity and lessening the associated social and economic losses. In addition, a dengue vaccine is seen as the best way to control dengue effectively. Proper management of dengue infection, mosquito control measures as well as a candidate dengue vaccine, requires a comprehensive update of knowledge in all relevant aspects.