Dengue type 3 infection--Nicaragua and Panama, October-November 1994.

The geographic range and incidence of dengue virus activity in the Americas substantially increased from 1980 to 1994. During this period, all dengue activity in the Americas was associated with dengue serotypes 1, 2, and 4 (DEN-1, DEN-2, and DEN-4). On November 25, 1994, the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua announced the isolation of dengue type 3 (DEN-3) from two children hospitalized with minor hemorrhagic manifestations in Managua. Subsequently, DEN-3 virus was isolated from two persons with dengue fever in Panama. These cases represent the first isolation of DEN-3 from autochthonous cases in the Americas since 1977. This report describes these cases and dengue activity in Nicaragua and Panama and summarizes public health activities to control dengue fever in the Americas.