The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre has confirmed that recent dengue fever activity in Belize has been due to dengue virus type 3. As at November 6, 1997 the type 3 virus has been isolated from six patients whose samples were received at CAREC between September 26 and October 13,1997. Three of these initial isolates have also been confirmed as type 3 virus by the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition to these six virus isolates, five other patients were confirmed as dengue positive on the basis of an IgM antibody result, for a total of 11 confirmed cases out of the 38 which were referred.