Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a serious, life threatening disease that is extremely prevalent throughout south East Asia. DHF has caused widespread epidemics and has claimed many lives. This paper will focus on educating individuals in the medical profession and patients that reside in the regions of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam about this disease.
DHF is a viral infection spread by the bite of mosquitoes, more specifically the female Aedes Mosquito (2). DHF is a virus that belongs to the Flaviviridae family (3). Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, also known as severe dengue and a more serious, deadly version of dengue fever of break bone fever. Although there were diagnosed cases of dengue fever dating back to the 16th century, the first documentation of dengue hemorrhagic fever originated in the Philippians and Thailand during the 1950’s. Since then DHF has spread drastically and is among the top ten leading causes of hospitalization and death in children in at least eight tropical Asian countries (1). Aside from losing loved one, the disease places a deep economical burden. This disease causes an overload of cases in hospitals and clinics thus resulting in overworked medical staff and improper care. The lack of improper care leads to higher mortality rates and public fear of this disease. A 1995 report estimated that the annual economic burden due to DHF in Thailand ranges from 19 million dollars to 51 million dollars per year, depending on whether low or high levels of transmission occur. (Gen Cons)
DHF is a virus from the genius flavivirus. Flavivirus are viruses which are arthropod borne consisting of single stranded RNA genome surrounded by an icosahedral nucleocapsid and covered by a lipid envelope (Gen Cons). Being arthropod borne, it can be spread by an insect which is the vector. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is a Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) infection based off the virulence of deungue fever’s ability to trick it’s host immune system
DHF is a viral infection spread by the bite of mosquitoes, more specifically the female Aedes Mosquito (2). DHF is a virus that belongs to the Flaviviridae family (3). Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, also known as severe dengue and a more serious, deadly version of dengue fever of break bone fever. Although there were diagnosed cases of dengue fever dating back to the 16th century, the first documentation of dengue hemorrhagic fever originated in the Philippians and Thailand during the 1950’s. Since then DHF has spread drastically and is among the top ten leading causes of hospitalization and death in children in at least eight tropical Asian countries (1). Aside from losing loved one, the disease places a deep economical burden. This disease causes an overload of cases in hospitals and clinics thus resulting in overworked medical staff and improper care. The lack of improper care leads to higher mortality rates and public fear of this disease. A 1995 report estimated that the annual economic burden due to DHF in Thailand ranges from 19 million dollars to 51 million dollars per year, depending on whether low or high levels of transmission occur. (Gen Cons)
DHF is a virus from the genius flavivirus. Flavivirus are viruses which are arthropod borne consisting of single stranded RNA genome surrounded by an icosahedral nucleocapsid and covered by a lipid envelope (Gen Cons). Being arthropod borne, it can be spread by an insect which is the vector. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is a Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) infection based off the virulence of deungue fever’s ability to trick it’s host immune system