[An epidemic of dengue fever in a department of paediatrics: report on 58 cases in Lamentin (Martinique)].
Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted by an Aedes mosquito, and infects 80 million people in the world annually. 30 000 case fatality of Dengue hemorrhagic fever are estimated each year. The disease, endemo-epidemic in the inter-tropical area, is a public health problem.


METHODS
An epidemic of dengue fever occurred in Martinique, French department of the Caribbean, in 2001-2002. This work was a clinical and epidemiologic study of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever in 58 children.


RESULTS
Three children (5%) developed a hemorrhagic dengue, and 13 subjects (24%) presented at least with one hemorrhagic sign. Symptoms were polymorphous, certain forms were only myalgic; the main reason for consultation was the fever (89%). The principal characteristics were a leucopenia (56%) associated with a neutropenia (80%), a thrombocytopenia (54%), a hepatic cytolysis (66%) and sometimes a muscular cytolysis (9/15) and a increase in the ferritinemia (16/27). No death was noted.


CONCLUSIONS
The treatment of the dengue is above all preventive, it consists in the antivector fight.
Monnin
M
M
Service de pédiatrie, centre hospitalier de Lamentin, 97232 Lamentin, Martinique.
M'bou
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003715:Dengue / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008395:Martinique; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis