Preparedness for Global Dengue Resurgence: An Urgent Need

Abstract

CommentaryDengue virus (DENV: Genus Flavivirus; family Flaviviridae), which is vectored by female Aedes aegypti (in endemic regions principally in urban areas) as well as female Aedes albopictus (mostly in rural areas) mosquitoes, cause dengue in humans (with the infection of its all four serotypes [1-3]: DENV1, DENV2, DENV3 and DENV4) that arrays from self-limiting mild feverish illness: DF (dengue fever), to severe life-threatening forms, DHF (dengue hemorrhagic fever) and DSS (dengue shock syndrome) leading to death (Figure 1). The disease has been recognized as a major public health problem in developing tropics and subtropics, but is now spreading rapidly globally with worldwide transportation of infective vectors of DENVs [4,5], due to: DHF was first reported in Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal in 1963 and 1964 [10,11], and due to the co-circulation of all four DENV (DENV1, DENV2, DENV3 and DENV4) serotypes this region has been designated as hyper-endemic [12]. Several dengue episodes hit Kolkata from time to time [13,14]