[Clinical observations of dengue fever among children]

From November 1987 to October 1988, seventy-seven cases diagnosed as dengue fever and confirmed by viral culture or serological examination in the Pediatric Department of Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital were studied. In nearly two thirds (64.9%) of the total cases, the ages were between 10 and 14 years old. No significant sexual difference could be found in this study. Two peaks of cases distribution occurred at November 1987 and October 1988. The major clinical manifestations of Dengue Fever were fever, headache, skin rash and cough. Nearly half of the total cases had nausea, vomiting, myalgia and skin itching. 29 cases (37.7%) had hemorrhagic complications during the course of disease. The most common features of hemorrhage was petechiae followed by epistaxis. Two cases were confirmed as hemorrhagic dengue fever and one was also dengue shock syndrome. Most (92.5%) of the cases had body temperatures over 38.5 degrees C at the onset of the disease. The mean duration of fever was 5.9 days. No fatality was found. It is concluded that eradication of vectors in the school environment might be one of the major points of disease control according to the age distribution of this study. The appearance of hemorrhagic dengue fever is a major problem and should be closely followed by clinicians and workers of public health in Taiwan.