Published Mar 10, 2014

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Even though during the 1960s and the early 1970s dengue transmission was interrupted in the Americas due to policies implemented to prevent yellow fever, in the last decade the disease has become a serious problem globally and for Latin America and the Caribbean countries. Spread by mosquitoes (Aedesaegypti) nowadays, dengue affects 50 to 100 million people annually, with high morbidity and associated mortality. Young adults are the most affected and in some countries there´s also an increment in cases within pediatric population. In this study, published in Value in Health Regional Issues entitled, “Dengue Epidemiology and Burden of Disease in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis,” we performed a comprehensive review of scientific literature and official country´s information, to portrait the epidemiology of dengue in the region. We found an increase in the incidence of dengue between 1995 and 2010 in Latin America and the Caribbean countries. The pattern of intermittent epidemics with long free intervals registered some decades ago changed to annual outbreaks, and a persistent co-circulation of several dengue virus types was noticed. More than 60% of cases came from Brazil. As dengue represents a substantial economic burden in the overall economy of the region we consider that this study will be useful to inform authorities in order to plan public health interventions.

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