More than five million cases of dengue have been reported worldwide. including 5,000 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today, significantly increasing the risk of this disease, the spread of which is increasing due to factors such as climate change.
Global warming is expanding the habitat of mosquitoes that transmit this viral infection, arbovirus specialist from the WHO Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention, Diana Rojas, recalled at a press conference.
As a result, half of the world’s population, approximately 4 billion people, are at risk of contracting dengue fever. the most common disease transmitted by mosquitoes.
“Most people do not develop symptoms, but those who do may experience high fever, headache, body aches, nausea… In many cases they recover within a week or two, but sometimes the situation can worsen,” he remembers.
Rojas also recalled that 80 percent of cases in 2023 (4.1 million) were registered in America. The next most affected regions were South and East Asia.
The American country that recorded the most cases this year was Brazil (2.9 million), followed by Peru (271 thousand) and Mexico (235 thousand), while Colombia was the country where the most severe forms of the disease were diagnosed (1,500, 1.35). percent of the total). fallen). total), followed by Brazil (1,474, 0.05 percent).
Rojas also warned that local transmissions of dengue are starting to be detected in countries previously considered non-endemic, even in European countries such as Italy (82 positive cases in 2023), France (43) or Spain (3).
“Normally, cases in these countries are detected in travelers from the Americas, East Asia and other endemic regions, but this year some limited local outbreaks of transmission were observed,” he warned.
He also considered outbreaks in countries with conflict and fragile contexts to be worrying. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia or Yemen, along with infections from other diseases, waves of internal displacement and poor healthcare infrastructure.
The increased risk adopted by WHO aims to “maximize attention and response to help countries control current outbreaks and prepare them for the next peak dengue season,” which generally coincides with warm and humid periods.
In this sense, WHO calls on Member States to strengthen case surveillance mechanisms. environmental conditions and colonies of transmitting mosquitoes, as well as updating action guidelines and improving the training of health workers to combat the disease.
For the general population, WHO recommends the use of mosquito repellents, especially during the day, and eliminating areas of high mosquito abundance near residential areas in communities.
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
