Imported dengue--United States, 1996

Dengue is a mosquito-transmitted acute disease caused by any of four dengue virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4) and characterized by the sudden onset of fever, headache, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, nausea, and vomiting. This disease is endemic in most tropical areas of the world and has occurred in U.S. residents returning from travel to such areas. CDC maintains a laboratory-based passive surveillance system for imported dengue among U.S. residents. This report summarizes information about cases of imported dengue among U.S. residents for 1996, which indicated that most persons for whom travel history was known probably acquired infection in the Caribbean islands or Asia.