A clinical survey of reported cases of dengue-like illness during the outbreak of dengue 1981 in Puerto Rico
De Jesús, M.; Gubler, D.J.; Sather, G.E.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 74(3): 76-78
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 6957199 Document Number: 700850
Dengue, breakbone fever, an arthropod-borne tropical disease, is a viral condition which carries with it a high morbidity-mortality potential in the Caribbean population. There are four viral serotypes of dengue of which three have been recognized in Puerto Rico up to the current outbreak. During the dengue outbreak in Puerto Rico, comprising the months of September to December 1981, a total of 53 reported cases of dengue-like illness were clinically surveyed. The purpose of this study was to determine the most common clinical manifestations and incidence of serologically positive dengue. A surveillance program was established in four municipalities of the Caguas Health region. Patients were screened for dengue-like illness. A total of 53 paired blood samples were serologically tested for dengue. Only 9 (17%) of the cases were positive for dengue. The most common clinical symptoms were fever, myalgias, headache and retro-ocular pain present in 100% of the dengue positive patients. There were no significant hemorrhagic manifestations in the positive cases. Two cases were serologically positive for dengue 4, a serotype which had never been detected in Puerto Rico. The low confirmation rate obtained and unspecificity of clinical symptoms found, confirms that dengue mimics other viral diseases and that there are no clinical determinants which could differentiate between dengue serotypes.
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