HAIRS risk assessment: Dengue
Qualitative assessment of the risk dengue presents to the UK public.
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Dengue is a disease caused by dengue virus (DENV) which is primarily a mosquito-borne infection transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito.
Transmission of DENV in the UK is contingent on 2 factors:
- the presence of infected humans
- the presence of competent mosquito vectors
Whilst sporadic incursions of competent vectors have been detected through active surveillance programmes in the UK, there is no current evidence of established populations of these vectors required for DENV transmission. All human cases reported in the UK have been acquired as a result of travelling to endemic areas; the majority to South and South East Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Africa and South and Central America.
This risk assessment provides a qualitative description of the current risk to the UK human population.