Dengue haemorrhagic fever integral hypothesis: confirming observations, 1987-2007

Abstract

In 1987, Kouri et al. published in Transactions their integral hypothesis to explain the development of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) epidemics (Kouri, G.P., Guzmán, M.G., Bravo, J.R., 1987. Why dengue haemorrhagic fever in Cuba? 2. An integral analysis. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 81, 821-823). Based on observations carried out during the 1981 Cuban DHF epidemic, the authors integrated in one model the most advanced knowledge at that time. Observations in the last 20 years confirm the importance of this multifactorial and unifying view of the problem, where the interaction between the host, the virus and the vector in an epidemiological and ecosystem setting might determine DHF as a final outcome. Investigations on the interaction among host, virus and mosquito with an ecosystemic view are needed.