Dengue fever in Saudi Arabia: review of the recent literature

Abstract

Dengue fever (DF) stands out as one of the most perilous mosquito-borne viruses, exerting a significant toll on both medical and economic fronts globally. Historically, Latin America and Asia have emerged as focal points for much of the DF research endeavors, owing to the pronounced burdens the virus imposes on these regions. In other areas, like in the Middle East, where DF has posed a significant public health risk, research is critically required. Therefore, this review of literature attempted to cover a variety of DF-related topics in Saudi Arabia to help healthcare professionals improve the level of DF management. The review was conducted by searching the Medline, PubMed archives, National Library of Medicine, Google Scholar, and other resourceful databases with relevant information regarding DF. The search was conducted using Arabic and English literature. Extra references were located in the reference lists of the selected articles, whereby, the selection process involved reviewing the abstracts and titles of each article. It was found that in Saudi Arabia, the first known case of DF happened in 1993. However, in 2004, the disease was officially declared an endemic, following a decade of intermittent outbreaks. Similar to other countries where DF has been declared endemic, Saudi Arabia's climate, sociodemographic diversity, and growing population have contributed to the spread of DF. Several factors including the substantial influx of migrant laborers and religious visitors from dengue-endemic regions across the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia contribute to the proliferation of DF in Saudi Arabia.