Changing epidemiology of dengue fever in children in South America

Dengue is the most important arthropod-borne viral disease of public health significance. Its geographic distribution includes 128 countries worldwide, affecting 390 million people every year causing significant morbidity and mortality in children and adults everywhere.

In the past, severe dengue affected mostly adults in the Americas; this scenario has changed and now cases of dengue, severe dengue, and dengue deaths have increased in children under 15 years in Brazil and in Colombia. Dengue and COVID-19 co-infections have been reported in South America, with increased hospitalization. A dengue vaccine for 9-year-old children and older children and adults who have serological evidence of previous dengue has been licensed in many countries; a different dengue vaccine trial for 4-16-year-old children has demonstrated decrease in clinical dengue and decrease in dengue hospitalizations.

There is no specific treatment of dengue, and a changing climate, insecticide resistance and urban expansion have permitted the vector's spread, making the vector control almost impossible. The hope for dengue control relies on vaccine development; there is important research on this area with one vaccine already licensed and another one showing promising results.