Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever

Epidemic dengue has plagued human populations for at least 250 years, increasing in frequency and magnitude as demographic and social changes led to urban living and as global commerce facilitated geographic expansion of both the viruses and vectors. However, because epidemics were infrequent and case fatality rates were generally low, the disease was forgotten during inter-epidemic periods and was not considered to be an important public health problem, a perception that has persisted to the present day.