: DENVs are considered the most important emerging, human arboviruses, with worldwide distribution in the tropics, causing an estimated 50 million cases of dengue fever (DF), 750,000 cases of severe dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), and approximately 21,000 deaths every year. According to the WHO, severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and Latin American countries. In 2013, the WHO reported 2.35 million cases of dengue in the Americas alone, of which 37,687 cases were severe dengue. The field of dengue research has shown considerable expansion in the last decade, with new vaccine candidates, better understanding of disease determinants, and new developments in diagnosis, prognosis and investigational treatments. However, currently there is no specific treatment and no effective vaccines. The Pan-American Dengue Research Network Meeting (Pan-Dengue Net) is an initiative to gather researchers across the Americas every two years to discuss their recent advancements in the field, communicate this information to the scientific community in the region, foster collaborations among groups, and discuss future research strategies that will further strengthen the field. During these meetings cutting-edge topics on dengue field are presented and discussed. One of the main objectives of this application is to guarantee the participation of many graduated students and junior investigators from Latin American and Caribbean regions, which have been usually underrepresented in science The scientific meeting to be held in Belm, Brazil this year undoubtedly will make an important contribution to supporting and broadening the impact of research on dengue throughout the hemisphere.
Fourth Pan-American Dengue Research Network Meeting DENVs are considered the most important emerging, human arboviruses, with worldwide distribution in the tropics, causing an estimated 50 million cases of dengue fever (DF), 750,000 cases of severe dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), and approximately 21,000 deaths every year. According to the WHO, severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and Latin American countries. In 2013, the WHO reported 2.35 million cases of dengue in the Americas alone, of which 37,687 cases were severe dengue. Today, the US National Institutes of Health provide a majority of funding for dengue research for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, while the disease burden is predominantly outside the borders of the United States. Unfortunately presently there is no effective vaccine or specific treatment to fight dengue and severe dengue. International meetings, such as this one, are vital to the exchange of information and fostering North-South collaborations and to open the possibilities to get effective measures to control dengue in the LA region and over the world. These meeting contribute to spread the newest knowledgment on the dengue field putting together investigators with resources and financial capabilities with research ethnic groups from underrepresented in the Latin American continent. The scientific meeting to be held in Belm, Brazil this year undoubtedly will make an important contribution to supporting and broadening the impact of research on dengue throughout the hemisphere.
