Abstract

RAMIREZ-SALAS, Alcira; MONTERO-CHINCHILLA, Guiselle  and  SANABRIA-VARELA, Luis. Epidemiology of Classic Dengue Fever in the District of Pavas, Costa Rica, 2003-2007. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2009, vol.51, n.1, pp.34-38. ISSN 0001-6002.

Justification and aim: Since the reappearance of dengue in Costa Rica during the early nineties, it has certainly become a relevant public health problem. The spread of this disease to different localities of the Central Valley, becomes a threat for the population, which in turn requires an important effort from health services to work on its prevention and control. This study describes the epidemiological behavior of dengue in Pavas between the 2003 and 2007. Methods: Descriptive study of all the cases confirmed as classic dengue in the Area of Health of Pavas, during the period 2003-2007. Results: Pavas constitutes a local transmission zone of the dengue virus. The most affected age group by the disease is the economically productive one. There was no difference in the incidence of disease related to sex; on the other hand, there was a clear seasonality of the infection closely related to the climate pattern of the place and the concentration of the disease in particular localities. Conclusion: The predominance of native cases of dengue from 2004 makes evident that Pavas is an area with local transmission of the virus. This fact together with the circulating serotypes (1 and 2) and the amount of susceptible people for hemorrhagic dengue, that increased throughout the period of this study, constitutes a real risk not only for the Pavas’ population but also for the Metropolitan area’s population.

Keywords : dengue; Pavas; behavior; accumulated incidence.

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