sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
The Lancet Infectious Diseases 2003; 3:57
DOI:10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00494-8
Dengue's toll documented on the web
Marilynn Larkin
Dengue prevalence has ?grown dramatically? in recent years, and the disease is now a ?major international public health concern,? says WHO (http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/f...). Indeed, recent news stories document dengue's ongoing toll. A sampling of reports from mid-November, for example, reveal the following: On Nov 13, The Hong Kong Department of Health confirmed an imported case of dengue fever and urged members of the public to guard against the disease (http://www.gov.hk/dh/new/bulle...); on Nov 18, public health officials in Taiwan called in the military to deal with the island's worst epidemic of dengue fever since World War II (http://www.ivillagehealth.com/...); an outbreak of the potentially lethal dengue haemorrhagic fever was reported in Mexico on Nov 17, and the article noted that earlier epidemics in Honduras and El Salvador had forced these governments to declare national emergencies (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/...); and finally, in light of an earlier dengue epidemic in Brazil, that government organised a day of popular action against dengue, or D-Day, on Nov 23 (http://www.alertnet.org/thenew...). In addition to providing news, the following sites do an excellent job of alerting physicians and the general public about preventive measures, appropriate management of dengue, and related research (also see the review on page 33).
Bangladesh Dengue Website
http://www.geocities.com/preve...
This impressive site is a collaborative effort between a dengue fever survivor living in Bangladesh and a Bangladeshi website developer living in the USA. It covers all major areas related to the disease?prevalence, diagnosis, prevention, management, public health concerns, and more?in a refreshingly straightforward way. Highlights include seminar handouts (most are in English), awareness programme slide shows, and a photo album.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dengue
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbi...
The US CDC offers a comprehensive overview of dengue, including a brief history, perspectives on the four virus types, a fact sheet for physicians, and frequently asked questions and answers for the general public. A recent addition to the site is a downloadable PowerPoint slide set on public health aspects of dengue.
Dengue the Deadly Killer
http://www.sdnbd.org/sdi/issue...
Bangladesh's Sustainable Development Networking Programme has developed this portal to dengue news and information. Although the breaking news section needs updating, the international news section is current and provides links to relevant news from various sources. Also of interest are the dengue FAQ and photo gallery.
Click to enlarge image
Armchair Travel: Dengue Fever
http://www.armchair.com/info/s...
This article by Alan Spira is of interest because it is written in a chatty yet sophisticated style that is likely to appeal to world travellers, while providing basic information about dengue prevention and treatment.
The Fight Against Dengue
http://navymedicine.med.navy.m...
This article gives the military perspective on dengue, which is positioned here as ?the viral nemesis of military operations.? The author?who is director of the viral diseases program at the Naval Medical Research Unit in Jakarta, Indonesia?touches on vaccine development and field studies, as well as diagnosis.
Hawaii Department of Health: Dengue Fever Information Center
http://www.state.hi.us/health/...
Here is another well-conceived site for healthcare professionals and the general public. Highlights include slide shows for clinicians and a patient education brochure in ten languages.
Medline Plus: Dengue fever
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline...
Medline Plus offers a good overview of dengue for the general public, particularly world travellers. Although the severity of the illness is downplayed here, the site also links to information on the potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever.
University of Sydney: Dengue
http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact...
Here is an excellent one-page summary for physicians, posted by the University of Sydney's Department of Medical Entomology. Dengue is positioned as ?the most important viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes afflicting humans in a world context.?
WHO: Dengue Portal
http://www.who.int/health-topi...
This portal site provides links to all the areas on the WHO site that contain information on dengue. Highlights include a recently updated fact sheet; DengueNet (http://oms2.b3e.jussieu.fr/Den...), WHO's global surveillance network; and the research and development section (http://www.who.int/tdr/disease...).
DOI:10.1016/S1473-3099(03)00494-8
Dengue's toll documented on the web
Marilynn Larkin
Dengue prevalence has ?grown dramatically? in recent years, and the disease is now a ?major international public health concern,? says WHO (http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/f...). Indeed, recent news stories document dengue's ongoing toll. A sampling of reports from mid-November, for example, reveal the following: On Nov 13, The Hong Kong Department of Health confirmed an imported case of dengue fever and urged members of the public to guard against the disease (http://www.gov.hk/dh/new/bulle...); on Nov 18, public health officials in Taiwan called in the military to deal with the island's worst epidemic of dengue fever since World War II (http://www.ivillagehealth.com/...); an outbreak of the potentially lethal dengue haemorrhagic fever was reported in Mexico on Nov 17, and the article noted that earlier epidemics in Honduras and El Salvador had forced these governments to declare national emergencies (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/...); and finally, in light of an earlier dengue epidemic in Brazil, that government organised a day of popular action against dengue, or D-Day, on Nov 23 (http://www.alertnet.org/thenew...). In addition to providing news, the following sites do an excellent job of alerting physicians and the general public about preventive measures, appropriate management of dengue, and related research (also see the review on page 33).
Bangladesh Dengue Website
http://www.geocities.com/preve...
This impressive site is a collaborative effort between a dengue fever survivor living in Bangladesh and a Bangladeshi website developer living in the USA. It covers all major areas related to the disease?prevalence, diagnosis, prevention, management, public health concerns, and more?in a refreshingly straightforward way. Highlights include seminar handouts (most are in English), awareness programme slide shows, and a photo album.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Dengue
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbi...
The US CDC offers a comprehensive overview of dengue, including a brief history, perspectives on the four virus types, a fact sheet for physicians, and frequently asked questions and answers for the general public. A recent addition to the site is a downloadable PowerPoint slide set on public health aspects of dengue.
Dengue the Deadly Killer
http://www.sdnbd.org/sdi/issue...
Bangladesh's Sustainable Development Networking Programme has developed this portal to dengue news and information. Although the breaking news section needs updating, the international news section is current and provides links to relevant news from various sources. Also of interest are the dengue FAQ and photo gallery.
Click to enlarge image
Armchair Travel: Dengue Fever
http://www.armchair.com/info/s...
This article by Alan Spira is of interest because it is written in a chatty yet sophisticated style that is likely to appeal to world travellers, while providing basic information about dengue prevention and treatment.
The Fight Against Dengue
http://navymedicine.med.navy.m...
This article gives the military perspective on dengue, which is positioned here as ?the viral nemesis of military operations.? The author?who is director of the viral diseases program at the Naval Medical Research Unit in Jakarta, Indonesia?touches on vaccine development and field studies, as well as diagnosis.
Hawaii Department of Health: Dengue Fever Information Center
http://www.state.hi.us/health/...
Here is another well-conceived site for healthcare professionals and the general public. Highlights include slide shows for clinicians and a patient education brochure in ten languages.
Medline Plus: Dengue fever
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline...
Medline Plus offers a good overview of dengue for the general public, particularly world travellers. Although the severity of the illness is downplayed here, the site also links to information on the potentially fatal dengue haemorrhagic fever.
University of Sydney: Dengue
http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact...
Here is an excellent one-page summary for physicians, posted by the University of Sydney's Department of Medical Entomology. Dengue is positioned as ?the most important viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes afflicting humans in a world context.?
WHO: Dengue Portal
http://www.who.int/health-topi...
This portal site provides links to all the areas on the WHO site that contain information on dengue. Highlights include a recently updated fact sheet; DengueNet (http://oms2.b3e.jussieu.fr/Den...), WHO's global surveillance network; and the research and development section (http://www.who.int/tdr/disease...).