Dengue Webliography

Introduction

This Dengue Webliography was first compiled in December 2002 and updated in February 2003. It provides links to recent studies, web sites and other information on the prevention and control of dengue. 

Dengue is endemic in 100 countries throughout the Americas, South-east Asia, the western Pacific islands, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Dengue prevalence has “grown dramatically” in recent years, and the disease is now a “major international public health concern,” says a recent WHO Fact Sheet. The WHO Fact Sheet also discusses the prevalence and transmission of dengue.

Indeed, recent news stories document dengue’s ongoing toll. On November 18, 2002,  public health officials in Taiwan called in the military to deal with the island’s worst epidemic of dengue fever since World War II. .

In Central America, the countries most affected by the dengue epidemic are El Salvador and Honduras. Both countries have declared a State of Emergency. Prevention. Control measures taken so far have not been sufficient and cases of dengue continue to emerge in urban and suburban areas. Concern has risen in the last few weeks that the epidemic will spread to other countries in Central America.

Other recent outbreaks were reported in Fiji, Malaysia,  and Sri Lanka. The number of people infected with dengue fever around the world has gone up over the past 20 years, and an expert says this is because many governments have not taken steps to curb transmission. One country, however, that has a successful dengue prevention and control program is Singapore. Other recent studies on dengue control programs are listed in the studies below:

Prevention and Control

EHP recently published a review of methods to prevent and control dengue outbreaks.  It is EHP Strategic Report 7, 2003: Best Practices for Dengue Prevention and Control.

Recent Studies
(Click on author’s name to view abstract)  

Winch PJ, et al. – Community-based dengue prevention programs in Puerto Rico: impact on knowledge, behavior, and residential mosquito infestation.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2002 Oct;67(4):363-70..

Pinheiro VC, et al. – Frequency, diversity, and productivity study on the Aedes aegypti most preferred containers in the city of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2002 Sep-Oct;44(5):245-50.

Van Benthem BH, et al. – Knowledge and use of prevention measures related to dengue in northern Thailand.
Trop Med Int Health. 2002 Nov;7(11):993-1000.

Dieng H, et al. – A laboratory and field evaluation of Macrocyclops distinctus, Megacyclops viridis and Mesocyclops pehpeiensis as control agents of the dengue vector Aedes albopictus in a peridomestic area in Nagasaki, Japan.
Med Vet Entomol. 2002 Sep;16(3):285-91.

Kay BH, et al. – Control of aedes vectors of dengue in three provinces of Vietnam by use of Mesocyclops (Copepoda) and community-based methods validated by entomologic, clinical, and serological surveillance.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2002 Jan;66(1):40-8.

Madeira NG, et al. – Education in primary school as a strategy to control dengue.
Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2002 May-Jun;35(3):221-6.

Gubler DJ. Epidemic dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever as a public health, social and economic problem in the 21st century.
Trends Microbiol. 2002 Feb;10(2):100-3.

Espinoza-Gomez F, et al. – Educational campaign versus malathion spraying for the control of Aedes aegypti in Colima, Mexico.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002 Feb;56(2):148-52.

C. Dengue Web Sites

In addition to providing news, the following sites do an excellent job of alerting he general public about preventive measures, appropriate management of dengue, and related research

Bangladesh Dengue Web Site – This site is a collaborative effort between a dengue fever survivor living in Bangladesh and a Bangladeshi website developer living in the USA. It covers all major areas related to the disease—prevalence, diagnosis, prevention, management, public health concerns, and more—in a refreshingly straightforward way. Highlights include seminar handouts (most are in English), awareness program slide shows, and a photo album.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Dengue
The CDC web site offers a comprehensive overview of dengue, including a brief history, perspectives on the four virus types, a fact sheet for physicians, and frequently asked questions and answers for the general public. A recent addition to the site is a downloadable PowerPoint slide set on public health aspects of dengue.

PAHO – Dengue – The web site of the Pan American Health Organization has Spanish and English information and statistics on dengue prevalence in Latin America. There are also guidelines and manuals, conference papers and links to other resources.

WHO Health Topics – Dengue Portal – This portal site of the World Health Organization provides links to all the areas on the WHO site that contain information on dengue. Highlights include a a recently updated fact sheet;  DengueNet; WHO’s global surveillance network; and the Tropical Diseases Research-Dengue section.