Trending Clinical Topic: Dengue

Ryan Syrek

Disclosures

December 06, 2019

Each week, we identify one top search term, speculate as to what caused its popularity, and provide an infographic on a related condition. If you have thoughts about what's trending and why, feel free to share them with us on Twitter or Facebook.

A newly reported means of transmission, along with growing concern about increased spread of the disease, made dengue this week's top trending clinical topic. Spain recently confirmed the first-ever case of sexually transmitted dengue. A 36-year-old man who had not traveled outside of Spain in the 45 days prior to symptom onset contracted dengue from his partner, a 41-year-old man who had traveled to Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The couple had sex within 3 days of symptom onset in the partner who had traveled. Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of the dengue virus genome in semen samples. Without data supporting a possible vector transmission, sexual transmission was deemed most likely. Although the risk is considered very low, this finding suggests that such transmission may be a concern.

Dengue and other vector-borne diseases may soon experience increased spread due to climate change. A new report from The Lancet concludes that without proper steps taken to address climate-related concerns, we may see increased incidence of chronic illnesses (eg, asthma, cardiovascular disease) and infectious diseases, most notably vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, malaria, and dengue. Thankfully, earlier this year the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine designed to prevent dengue disease caused by all serotypes, for individuals aged 9-16 years with previously confirmed dengue infection who live in endemic areas. Just as the populations concerned about transmission may soon increase, increasing interest in the condition made dengue this week's top trending clinical topic.

Read more about dengue.

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