The role of imported cases and favorable meteorological conditions in the onset of dengue epidemics
Autor(es): Shang, Chuin-Shee; Fang, Chi-Tai; Liu, Chung-Ming; Wen, Tzai-Hung; Tsai, Kun-Hsien; King, Chwan-Chuen
Resumo: Dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever is the world's most widely spread mosquito-borne arboviral disease and threatens more than two-thirds of the world's population. Cases are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical areas in accordance with vector habitats for Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. However, the role of imported cases and favorable meteorological conditions has not yet been quantitatively assessed. This study verified the correlation between the occurrence of indigenous dengue and imported cases in the context of weather variables (temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, etc.) for different time lags in southern Taiwan. Our findings imply that imported cases have a role in igniting indigenous outbreaks, in non-endemics areas, when favorable weather conditions are present. This relationship becomes insignificant in the late phase of local dengue epidemics. Therefore, early detection and case management of imported cases through timely surveillance and rapid laboratory-diagnosis may avert large scale epidemics of dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever. An early-warning surveillance system integrating meteorological data will be an invaluable tool for successful prevention and control of dengue, particularly in non-endemic countries.
Palavras-Chave: Relative humidity; Human diseases; Epidemics; Surveillance and enforcement; Pest control; Hosts; Aquatic insects; Disease transmission; Public health; Temperature effects; Weather; Dengue hemorrhagic fever; Data processing; Dengue; Rainfall; Vectors; Habitat; Aedes aegypti
Imprenta: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 4, n. 8, 2010.
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Transmission ; Aedes aegypti - Dengue ; Aedes aegypti - Epidemic ; Aedes aegypti - Epidemiology ; Aedes aegypti - Public health
Data de publicação: 2010
