[Dengue in New Caledonia. Study of 68 pediatric cases].

UNLABELLED: New Caledonia is a French territory of Pacific Ocean, where frequent dengue outbreaks occur. In 1995 and 1996, 3042 cases (including 18.3% children) were diagnosed in Pasteur Institute of Noumea.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

This work was a clinical and biological study of 68 in-patients of different ethnical groups in children. Among these young patients, 14 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever occurred.

RESULTS

The children were admitted to hospital after an average of 2.7 days of complaint, and during 6.7 days. The most important symptoms were fever at 39 degrees C (100%) during 2.2 days, sweatings (100%), malaise (57%) and headache (50%). Forty children had, at least, one hemorrhagic symptom. Leucopenia was noticed in 42 children, on an average of 4.2 days. A thrombocytopenia (mean 114,746 platelets/mm3) occurred in 5.3 days in 34 children (six cases with less than 10,000 platelets/mm3). A bacterial infection arised in 23.5% of children.

CONCLUSION

Dengue is an important problem of public health, which occurs in all population, including the young children. The fight against dengue fever by a rapid destruction of larvae and adult mosquitoes led to the decrease of the outbreak.