Effective management and prevention of dengue fever

Abstract

At present, India is experiencing an outbreak of dengue fever. Though all the regions of the country (West, East, North, and South India) are affected, the central region, especially Delhi is worst affected. The infection is now endemic in more than 100 countries, particularly the South East Asia region, Western Pacific region, and the Americas.^[1] Dengue fever is an arboviral infection transmitted by Aedes aegypti, mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. It has a range of severe and nonsevere clinical manifestations.^[2] The incubation period is 3–14 days (average 7 days). Around two-fifth of the world populations, especially in tropical and subtropical countries, and up to 2.5 billion people are at risk of dengue infection.^[1] An estimated 50 million infections occur annually worldwide, out of which about 0.5 million of these cases are admitted to hospital for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). About 90% of DHF occurs in children aged <5 years.^[1] As the disease is rapidly fatal, especially in children and pregnant women, early detection and appropriate treatment are of paramount importance.^[3] Read more...