Dengue imported from Paraguay to Buenos Aires. Clinical and epidemiological report of 38 cases.

Thirty eight patients with classic dengue fever, were studied from December 1999 up to April 2000. All of them acquired the infection in Paraguay; 66% of patients arrived at Buenos Aires metropolitan area within the viremia p eriod. Given Aedes aegypti abundance in the region they represent a high ri sk for local transmission. Unusual clinical findings in these patients were diarrhea (29%), transitory rise of seric aspartate aminotransferase (52%) and pruritic rash in all cases. Only 15.7% showed a biphasic course and non e of the five patients with hemorrhages had a positive loop test. These obs ervations show that dengue fever could be misdiagnosed as gastroenteritis o r flue-like illness. These patients remain at risk of suffering hemorrhagic dengue. DEN 1 has not been reported in Buenos Aires. This fact and the unu sual number of imported cases, represent a serious public health problem.