DETERMINING FACTORS FOR DENGUE FEVER AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: A REVIEW

Dengue fever is a disease which is a major concern in public health, It occurs in five continents, with around 50 to 100 million cases every year, 500 thousand hospital admissions and 22 thousand deaths annually. It is known that high temperatures shorthen the time of viral incubation, whereas high rainfall levels favor the laying of eggs. The vector, Aedes aegypti, takes advantage of man-made conditions of urbanization such as the accumulation of waste and potential water vessels such as tires, disposable cups and vases. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review on the topic, including the determining principles and profilactic actions against dengue epidemics. As the research methodology we have reviewd several trials in the main healthcare databases using the keywords “dengue” and “epidemiological surveillance”. Related titles and abstracts were analyzed in order to obtain the desored information, Based on this survey, it was concluded that there are macro and micro factors which determine the occurrence of dengue. Some of the macrodeterminants are: latitude, rainfall, temperature, El niño occurrence, populational density and unplanned urbanization, whereas the microdeterminants are: age, immune and nutritional status, circulating dengue serotype and vectorial density. Literature describes environmental education as being the most efficient profilactic measure, along with the encouragement for popular participation in the prevention of dengue fever. It is concluded that dengue prevention is associated with the increase in collective awareness and the understanding of all mechanicms involved.