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Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1980;58(1):1–21.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever — a public health problem and a field for research*

S B Halstead
PMCID: PMC2395896  PMID: 6966540

Abstract

Dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) is an enigmatic and growing public health problem which is confined at present to countries of South-East Asia. Since 1956, over 350 000 patients have been hospitalized and nearly 12 000 deaths have been reported. Dengue viruses, a group of four flaviviruses, are transmitted to man by Aedes aegypti. Currently, dengue viruses are actively transmitted in 61 countries which circle the globe in the tropical zone and have a combined population of 1500 million. Because the precise antecedents to DHF/DSS are unknown, the public health hazard posed by this syndrome is potentially worldwide. Epidemiological studies in South-East Asia clearly link DHF/DSS to individuals who have had a previous dengue infection or who have acquired maternal dengue antibody. Such antibody may serve as an opsonin, enhancing dengue virus infection of mononuclear phagocytes—the type of cell in man to which dengue infection may be confined. Antibody-mediated infection of these cells is the central concept in the hypothesis of immune infection enhancement. This hypothesis provides a conceptual framework for design of future research. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive identification of ”risk factors” in DHF/DSS. This research could be approached by undertaking comparative prospective epidemiological studies in dengue-endemic areas with and without DHF/DSS. Although important progress is being made in the development of attenuated dengue vaccines for each dengue type, a clearer understanding of the pathogenesis of DHF/DSS may be required to provide guidelines for safe and lasting immunoprophylaxis in man.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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