INTRODUCTION:
Also known as “tropical flu”, Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus. The incidence of dengue is currently increasing very significantly, and today it is among the ranks of so-called “re-emerging” diseases.
50 MILLION CASES OF DENGUE ESTIMATED PER YEAR IN THE WORLD (INCLUDING 500,000 CASES OF HEMORRHAGIC DENGUE)
CAUSES AND ORIGINS
Dengue is caused by an arbovirus (virus transmitted by arthropods), belonging to the Flaviviridae family, of the flavivirus genus, such as West Nile virus and yellow fever. It is transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes during a blood meal. Dengue virus strains are divided into four distinct serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4. Immunity acquired in response to infection with one of the serotypes confers protective immunity against the infecting serotype but not against other serotypes.
SYMPTOMS
Classic Dengue
“Classic” Dengue fever manifests suddenly after 2 to 7 days of incubation with the appearance of a high fever often accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting, joint and muscle pain and a skin rash resembling measles. After 3 to 4 days, a brief remission is observed, and then the symptoms intensify – conjunctiva haemorrhages, nosebleeds or bruising may occur – before regressing quickly after a week.
HEMORRHAGIC DENGUE FEVER COMPLICATIONS
In certain patients, for poorly understood reasons, the clinical picture of the disease can develop into two serious forms: dengue hemorrhagic fever then dengue with shock syndrome which is fatal.
The hemorrhagic form of the disease, which represents approximately 1% of dengue cases worldwide, is extremely severe: the fever persists and multiple haemorrhages, notably gastrointestinal, skin and cerebral, often occur. In children under fifteen years of age in particular, however, a state of hypovolemic shock can set in (coldness, dampness of the skin and imperceptible pulse showing signs of circulatory failure), lead to abdominal pain, and, without perfusion, cause death.
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Dengue is now considered a re-emerging disease. With the globalization of the economy and the increase in the exchange of goods and people, it tends to reach new geographical areas, develop more and more in urban environments, and cause greater and more important epidemics.
CASES IN MALI
Another disease is little known to the general public Dengue fever, also called red fever, the virus of which is transmitted by mosquito bites, is appearing in the districts of Bamako, Koulikoro, Mopti and Kayes. 65 samples were tested, 《 12 confirmed cases of dengue and 0 deaths following the assistance of doctors; 6 cases in the health district would have been affected in the three health regions. The same study adds that in Mali the last cases of dengue fever were recorded in 2020, including 1 in the Kayes region and one (1) other in Koulikoro.
Furthermore, during the 36th epidemiological week of 2023, researchers revealed that cases of dengue were reported at the beginning of last September before being listed in the regions of Mopti, Koulikoro as well as the district of Bamako. Also, certain health sources confide that these cases mainly came from communes 2, 4, 5 and 6 for Bamako and the health district of Kalaban-Coro for Koulikoro and that the only case recorded in Mopti would be imported from Burkina Faso, a neighbouring country. Finally, so that this epidemic can be eradicated and prevent its spread, prevention and treatment measures should be adopted at the level of political authorities to strengthen surveillance of hemorrhagic fevers throughout the territory. Anything that would prevent our country from yet another health crisis.
CONCLUSION:
Today, there are no specific treatments. Only one vaccine is marketed: Dengvaxia developed by Sanofi is a live attenuated, chimeric recombinant vaccine based on the 17D yellow fever vaccine which protects against serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 in subjects aged 9 to 45 years with a history of infection with the dengue virus and living in endemic areas. Other means of control are the control of mosquito vectors in the affected areas and individual protection against mosquito bites.
