title: Best practices in dengue surveillance: a report from the Asia-Pacific and Americas Dengue Prevention Boards.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dengue fever is a virus infection that is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and can cause severe disease especially in children. Dengue fever is a major problem in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We invited dengue experts from around the world to attend meetings to discuss dengue surveillance. We reviewed literature, heard detailed reports on surveillance programs, and shared expert opinions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Presentations by 22 countries were heard during the 2.5 day meetings. We describe the best methods of surveillance in general, the stakeholders in dengue surveillance, and the steps from mosquito bite to reporting of a dengue case to explore how best to carry out dengue surveillance. We also provide details and a comparison of the dengue surveillance programs by the presenting countries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experts provided recommendations for achieving the best possible data from dengue surveillance accepting the realities of the real world (e.g., limited funding and staff). Their recommendations included: (1) Every dengue endemic country should make reporting of dengue cases to the government mandatory; (2) electronic reporting systems should be developed and used; (3) at minimum dengue surveillance data should include incidence, hospitalization rates, deaths by age group; (4) additional studies should be completed to check the sensitivity of the system; (5) laboratories should share expertise and data; (6) tests that identify dengue virus should be used in patients with fever for four days or less and antibody tests should be used after day 4 to diagnose dengue; and (7) early detection and prediction of dengue outbreaks should be goals for national surveillance systems.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea. mbeatty@pdvi.org
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Fitzsimons
authors.forename: Jeffrey N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Sai Kit
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Sirenda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vong
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Jorge F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Mendez-Galvan
authors.forename: Scott B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Halstead
authors.forename: G William
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Letson
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuritsky
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: Harold S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Margolis
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas / Q000453:epidemiology; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003715:Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods