[The situation of dengue in the world]

The situation of dengue in the world can be summarized as follows: 2,5 billions persons at risk, 60 millions cases per year, and 30 000 deaths per year. The four dengue serotypes, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4 are nearly human-specific. Clinical symptoms of dengue vary from unapparent infection, mild febrile manifestations to hemorrhagic forms with or without shock syndrome. Dengue viruses are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the most important vectors being Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The epidemiology of the disease can be divided into endemo-epidemic situations occurring in South-East Asia, and epidemic situations found in Pacific islands, Africa and Tropical America. Maintenance of dengue is supported by an increasing demography, uncontrolled urbanization and climatic conditions favorable to the vectors. Spread of dengue is primarily caused by modern transportation means, especially the aircraft. The geographical distribution of dengue is pantropical, except for Madagascar and some african regions. Because no vaccine and no specific treatment actually exist against dengue viruses, mosquito control is the only way to reduce the incidence of dengue around the world. However, the evolution of the dengue situation is not satisfactory.