Affiliations: [a] Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology Division, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | [b] King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| [c] King Saud Bin AbdulAziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| [d] Department of Radiology, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| [e] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Dr. Jubara Alallah, Neonatology Section, Department of Pediatrics, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, PO Box 9515 Jeddah 21423, Mail Code 6325, Saudi Arabia. E-mails: jalallah@gmail.com/Alallahjs@ngha.med.sa.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral illness with 100 million new cases occurring worldwide. The vectors involved are mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Dengue infection is associated with maternal as well as fetal morbidities, like stillbirth, preterm birth, and low birth weight. THE CASE:We report a case of dengue fever occurring during early pregnancy and subsequent congenital neurologic malformation in the neonate as a result of vertical transmission. To our knowledge, this is the first case of confirmed congenital dengue in Saudi Arabia. DISCUSSION:Dengue infection is not commonly associated with congenital anomalies and no biologic mechanism has yet been established for its teratogenicity. Congenital dengue in neonates can be confirmed by identification of the dengue virus in cord blood samples. The positive dengue serology within the first week of life, together with the confirmed maternal dengue infection during pregnancy, supports the diagnosis of vertical transmission in the presence of clinical manifestations. A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis, and close monitoring is needed in these cases.
