Glossary

Dengue Virus

Dengue (pronounced “DENG-gee”), or “DENV,” is actually a group of viruses that cause “dengue fever” (more commonly, simply “dengue”) and a more serious infection known as “dengue hemorrhagic fever.” Like chikungunya and Zika viruses, dengue is transmitted from person-to-person through mosquitoes of the Aedes species). DENV is most prevalent in tropical countries, but tends to be more frequent in urban rather than rural settings. According to the CDC, DENV is seen commonly in “most tropical countries of the South Pacific, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Africa” (see the CDC Dengue map for more details). In the US, DENV is primarily limited to sporadic cases on the US-Mexico border, but it has been seen in Florida and Hawaii.

Dengue has been transmitted through transfusion, much like West Nile Virus. Donors diagnosed with DENV should be deferred from donation for at least four weeks after their symptoms resolve (this is a recommendation from AABB in a March 1, 2016 Association Bulletin). There is no current US blood donor screening test for dengue.

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