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Dengue fever is currently the most important vector-borne viral disease affecting people, in terms of both morbidity and mortality. Repeated epidemics of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever afflicting millions of individuals occur annually in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, including The Caribbean and Central America, inhabited by the
Aedes aegypti mosquito. Moreover, the ongoing resurgence of Aedes
aegypti, following a hurricane, has led to hyperendemicity, more frequent dengue epidemics, and the emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome.
Accordingly, the main purpose of this presentation is to identify and address the dominating factors influencing the resurgence of dengue fever following a natural disaster such as a hurricane. This lecture will also depicted an arguable approach to dengue surveillance as well as described existing efforts to prevent, control and eradicate dengue
(Aedes aegypti) with the aim of detailing potential problems that must be addressed to prevent further dengue fever outbreaks. Virologic surveillance should be consider the most important element in any such early warning system. Dengue virus transmission should be monitored to determine which serotypes are present, their distribution, and the type of illnesses associated with each. Effective dengue surveillance can provide an early warning capability permitting emergency mosquito control measures to be implemented and major epidemics to be averted following a hurricane. A surveillance system must be simple, yet comprehensive, in its structure and in its operation and flexible enough to allow the incorporation of new data. |
