Tracking Dengue Fever in China

Dengue Fever

Dengue is a viral disease transmitted from host to host by mosquitoes (Shepherd, 2012, Background). Many tropical and subtropical regions of the world are currently combating this disease, including 112 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. These regions are home to almost 3 billion people, therefore nearly half of the world's population is at risk for becoming infected with dengue. Currently, between 50 and 100 million people become infected with the virus each year.

Unfortunately, the number of reported cases of Dengue fever is increasing in many of these regions, including the Americas, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific (Shepherd, 2012, Background). This report will review what is understood about this disease, its mode of transmission, ongoing efforts to control its spread, and how public health virologists track outbreaks.

Etiology

The virus that causes dengue fever is a single-stranded RNA virus,...
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