• Vol. 27 No. 2, 227–234
  • 15 March 1998

The Global Pandemic of Dengue/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever: Current Status and Prospects for the Future

ABSTRACT

Dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever has been one of the most important resurgent tropical diseases in the past 17 years, with expanding geographic distribution of both the viruses and the mosquito vectors, increased frequency of epidemics, the development of hyperendemicity (co-circulation of multiple virus serotypes) and the emergence of dengue haemorrhagic fever in new areas. This paper briefly reviews the changing epidemiology of dengue, discusses some of the factors responsible for the recent resurgence, and reviews the current options for reversing the trend of emergent disease.


The world has experienced unprecedented population growth in the past 50 years that continues unabated in the waning years of the 20th century. It is projected that by the year 2025, the global population will be 8.3 billion people, and by 2050, 10 billion people.

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