The article reflects on the impact of the 2009 dengue epidemic in Argentina, with 26,000 infected and six deaths. The impact could have been greatly reduced through dialogue between epidemiology and public health policy. Lack of preparation, poor coordination of the response and the impact on the population confirm the gap between scientific evidence and decision-making. Epidemiology and health policy have different priorities, different times and different values scales. The lessons of the 2009 epidemic should serve to improve collaboration between these two pillars of public health for the benefit of the community, which is ultimately the shared objective.
Dengue, epidemiology; Disease Outbreaks, prevention & control; Epidemiologic Surveillance, organization & administration; Health Policy