Korean Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases  2013;20(2):98-104

Two Pediatric Cases of Dengue Fever Imported from Philippines.

Mi Ae OH ; Jae Won SHIM ; Duk Soo KIM ; Hye Lim JUNG ; Moon Soo PARK ; Jung Yeon SHIM

Keywords

Dengue; Korea; Child; Travel

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

Dengue fever is an important health problem for international travelers to all endemic areas. The steadily increasing numbers of tourists visiting endemic areas raise the risk of exposure, and imported dengue cases are increasingly observed in nonendemic area. Dengue has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, often with unpredictable clinical evolution and outcome. While most patients recover following a self-limiting, non-severe clinical course, a small proportion progress to severe disease such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Therefore, it is important to suspect dengue fever in every febrile patient returning from the tropics. Whenever it is suspected, a quick diagnosis and adequate managements are essential to avoid complications. We report two cases of imported dengue fever in Korean children presenting with fever, headache, nausea, and rash.