Dengue viral infections; pathogenesis and epidemiology

Dengue viral infections affect up to 100 million individuals per year. Deng ue haemorrhagic fever is a clinical form of disease characterised by intrav ascular fluid loss. There has been a marked increase in the incidence of th is form of the disease over the last few decades, associated with significa nt mortality, particularly in the paediatric population. A number of theori es relating to the pathogenesis of dengue haemorrhagic fever exist that hav e evolved from the analysis of the epidemiology of this disease. Virologica l and immunopathological factors are both important but the exact mechanism s for the disease are unknown. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.