AN EPIDEMIC OF DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER AND DENGUE SHOCK SYNDROME IN AND AROUND VELLORE

This report describes an epidemic of dengue naemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) in the North Arcot Ambedkar district and the adjoining districts in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Nineteen childre n who fulfilled the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of DHF/DSS wer e admitted to the Christian Medical College Hospital,, Vellore, during June through November, 1990. The clinical presentation was similar to that described in South-east Asian children and the case fatality rat e was 26.3 per cent. Serology was confirmatory or suggestive of recent dengue virus infection in 16 children, uninterpretable in 2 and not c onsistent with recent dengue virus infection in 1 child. All children over 1 yr of age had very high antibody titres suggesting a secondary response whereas infants had lower titres consistent with primary resp onse. The ocurrence of recurrent epidemics in this region in the last few years with associated high case fatality emphasizes the urgent nee d for public health measures to curtail further epidemics.