[An epidemic of dengue fever in a department of paediatrics: report on 58 cases in Lamentin (Martinique)]. / Une épidémie de dengue dans un service de pédiatrie. A propos de 58 cas au Lamentin (Martinique).

UNLABELLED: Dengue fever is caused by a virus transmitted by an Aedes mosquito, and infects 80 million people in the world annually. 30 000 case fatality of Dengue hemorrhagic fever are estimated each year. The disease, endemo-epidemic in the inter-tropical area, is a public health problem. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An epidemic of dengue fever occurred in Martinique, French department of the Caribbean, in 2001-2002. This work was a clinical and epidemiologic study of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever in 58 children. RESULTS: Three children (5%) developed a hemorrhagic dengue, and 13 subjects (24%) presented at least with one hemorrhagic sign. Symptoms were polymorphous, certain forms were only myalgic; the main reason for consultation was the fever (89%). The principal characteristics were a leucopenia (56%) associated with a neutropenia (80%), a thrombocytopenia (54%), a hepatic cytolysis (66%) and sometimes a muscular cytolysis (9/15) and a increase in the ferritinemia (16/27). No death was noted. CONCLUSION: The treatment of the dengue is above all preventive, it consists in the antivector fight.

Detection of charged particles by polymer grafting.

Tracks of fission fragments from a californium-252 source have been revealed by graft copolymerization. A 15 percent solution of propenoic (acrylic) acid monomer was reacted with irradiated cellulose triacetate for 24 hours at 55 degrees C. Copolymer forms preferentially at the track sites and it can be dyed with rhodamine B because of its acid and hydrophylic properties. After the dyeing, the tracks were seen by using fluorescence microscopy.