FDA permits marketing of first test to help diagnose dengue fever.

On 8 Apr 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of the first test to help diagnose people with signs and symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. The dengue virus is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. As many as 100 M people worldwide are infected by the virus each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of dengue fever include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild bleeding involving the nose or gums, and easy bruising. Most reported dengue cases …