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For the sake of brevity, reciting that the incidence of dengue fever and dengue
hemorrhagic fever, an acute febrile illness transmitted by the Aedes aegypti
mosquito, is on the rise can succinctly summarize this graph. Hundreds of
thousands of dengue cases are reported worldwide each year. Given the difficulty
in obtaining full reporting, the actual number of human infections is probably
much higher than the number reported. In the recent past, dengue transmission
has increased in most countries of the Americas and epidemics are occurring at
more frequent intervals. Along with the increased incidence of dengue fever has
been the emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever, with a major epidemic in Cuba
(1981) and a smaller epidemic in Mexico (1984). Moreover, there has been an
increased occurrence of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases throughout this region.
Many more cases probably go unreported each year because surveillance is
passive and relies on physicians to recognize the disease, inquire about the
patient's travel history, obtain proper diagnostic samples, and report the case.
These data suggest that the Americas, following a hurricane, are at risk for
increased dengue transmission and sporadic outbreaks.
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