Recent Shift in Age Pattern of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Brazil

To the Editor: Brazil is responsible for >60% of reported cases of dengue fever (DF) in the American region (a designation of the Pan American Health Organization, which includes all of North, Central and South America) (1). The epidemiologic characteristics of dengue diseases in Brazil differ from those described in Southeast Asia. In Brazil, the incidence of DF and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is highest in adults. By contrast, in Southeast Asia, DHF cases predominate and occur more often in children than in adults (2,3).