- Autores: Nogueira ML, Parreira R, Sánchez-Seco MP
- Ano de Publicação: 2015
- Journal: Anais do Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical
- Link: http://ihmtweb.ihmt.unl.pt/PublicacoesFB/Anais/Anais2015/index.html#13/z
Among the arthropode-borne viruses, dengue (DENV) stands out as the one which most significantly impacts human health. Although its distribution is somewhat determined the ecological conditions that limit the spread of its main vetor (Aedes aegypti), over recent years its geographic spread has been relentless, facilitated by the geographic dispersal of Ae. albopictus. DENV may cause as many as 400 million infections annually, many of which will evolve to clinical complicated situations. However, the burden of DENV on human health is not geographically symmetric, being mostly neglected in africa, unknown in continental Europe, but severe throughout Asia and Central/South America. Despite its undeniable importance, DENV is not, however, the only arbovirus affecting human health, and on both sides of the Atlantic the West-Nile virus is the flavivirus with the widest distribution, while that of chikungunya has been expanding in recent times. Being very dynamic, these viruses call for active surveillance, including that of their vectors, the control of which should be enforced.