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| Wednesday, 9 July 2003 |
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by Deeptha Leelarathna LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2003 - A Sri Lankan professor attached to North Carolina University in the US has lead a major study on Dengue fever, the results of which have been just released by the University. Dr. Aravinda de Silva, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, is the senior author of this major study. The study released by the University of North Carolina describes the emergence and spread of a virulent form of dengue virus from the Indian subcontinent to Latin America, including Mexico. The study used viral genetics to demonstrate the global movement of a virus associated with severe disease. It appears online in the journal "Emerging Infectious Diseases," a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given that the major mosquito vectors of dengue are well established here, there is concern that dengue viruses could be introduced into the United States and transmitted to people. Dengue includes four distinct viruses; all transmitted via the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, two of which, Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, are common in the southeastern United States. A handful of cases have been documented in south Texas, close to the Mexican border. The particular dengue virus subtype studied by de Silva and his team has been responsible for epidemics of deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever in Sri Lanka, East Africa and Latin America. Dengue virus is characterized by internal hemorrhaging that sometimes leads to shock - a drop in blood pressure and failure of blood cells to meet the metabolic demands of the body. The virus is a leading cause of death among children in Southeast Asia. Dengue fever is also known as breakbone disease because of severe headache and joint pain associated with it. In recent years hemorrhagic dengue has become increasingly prevalent in tropical America. (EOM) |
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