Korean J Med.
2009 Aug;77(2):165-170.
Dengue fever
- Affiliations
-
- 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.
Abstract
- Dengue virus causes dengue fever and its more severe form, dengue hemorrhagic fever. The classical symptoms of dengue fever are high fever lasting for 5~7 days and bright reddish petechiae developed at the end of fever. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the genus Aedes, which are distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, America, Southeast Asia, and Pacific islands. The currant pandemic of dengue viral infection began after the 1940s, possibly in consequence to the World War II, and the dengue virus infection has become the most important arthropod-borne viral infection. With an increase in the number of Koreans traveling to dengue fever-endemic areas since 1988, there has been an increase in the incidence of dengue viral infection and is reported to affect 50 to 90 patients annually. Further, it is the most common notifiable imported disease in Korea. Most of the patients with dengue infection presented with dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, and 1 fatal case of dengue shock syndrome was reported.
