INTRODUCTION
Dengue fever or “break-bone fever,” is a mosquito-borne
infectious disease caused by dengue fever virus (DENV)
belonging to the family Flaviviridae and genus flavivirus.
The word “dengue” is derived from the Swahili phrase Kadinga pepo, meaning “cramp-like seizure.” The first record
of this disease was noted in a Chinese medical encyclopedia
in 992 AD, the original publication of which dated back
during the Chin Dynasty (265-420 AD).1 At that time, the
disease was associated with flying insects and was then
referred to as “water poison.”2
The causative agent, DENV, has four distinct serotypes
termed DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4,