Virus-specific differences in rates of disease during the 2010 Dengue epidemic in Puerto Rico.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dengue is a potentially fatal acute febrile illness (AFI) caused by four mosquito-transmitted dengue viruses (DENV-1-4) that are endemic in Puerto Rico. In January 2010, the number of suspected dengue cases reported to the passive dengue surveillance system exceeded the epidemic threshold and an epidemic was declared soon after.

Methodology/principal findings

To characterize the epidemic, surveillance and laboratory diagnostic data were compiled. A suspected case was a dengue-like AFI in a person reported by a health care provider with or without a specimen submitted for diagnostic testing. Laboratory-positive cases had: (i) DENV nucleic acid detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in an acute serum specimen; (ii) anti-DENV IgM antibod

SUBMITTER: Sharp TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3617145 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature