Dengue hemorrhagic fever: First case identified in Guadeloupe (FWI)

The dengue fever is rampant in the French West Indies as well as in the Caribbean area. It seemed that up to 1995, the territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique were not affected by the hemorrhagical forms. The description of the first documented case which happened as the epidemy was raging in Guadeloupe between July 1994 and February 1995, confirms that this area situated in a critical zone, runs a high risk of developing hemorrhagical forms. The Health authorities must get preparated for such a possibility and intensify the fight against the Aedes aegypti and the epidemiologic control of the disease.