XII International Dengue Course, 2011

A global pandemic of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, started during World War II, intensifying during the 70’s. Since then, the prevalence of dengue fever as well as the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) has increased exponentially, with approximately 2.5 billion people at risk, about 50 million cases and 250-500 000 severe cases occur annually. At present, dengue is reported in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, and in the American and the Mediterranean regions. In the last years, an increased number of epidemics are being reported in Africa.

In this context, the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for the Study of Dengue and its Vector of the ‘Pedro Kourí’’ Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK), Havana, Cuba, together with the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) organize, since 1987, their biannual International Dengue Course.

This 12^th edition of the Course, covering 24 years (1987-2011) of work, will allow to strengthening capacities in dengue control and prevention, taking into account the most current and advanced knowledge and experiences.