After dengue fever appeared in countries that had never been affected before, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the threat of the disease.
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| Spraying insecticide to prevent dengue fever in Caranavi, Bolivia, March 2, 2023. (Source: AP) |
On December 22, speaking at the United Nations' weekly meeting in Geneva (Switzerland), Ms. Diana Rojas Alvarez, head of the WHO's research team on arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods), emphasized that nearly 80% of the cases, equivalent to about 4.1 million people, were recorded in the Americas, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
According to her, climate change is partly responsible for the increase in dengue fever cases due to heavy rain, higher humidity and temperatures, creating favorable conditions for mosquitoes to breed and develop.
Ms Alvarez said the threat required “maximum attention and response” from all levels of WHO to help countries control the current dengue outbreak, as well as prepare for the upcoming dengue season.
Last November, experts also warned that extreme heat and unusual rains, caused by climate change, were causing a surge in dengue fever cases in large parts of Asia.
Specifically, Bangladesh recorded more than 1,000 deaths, while Taiwan (China) witnessed a large-scale outbreak since 2015.
Notably, while previously, dengue fever was considered a disease that was prevalent mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, in recent years, many other regions in the world, including Japan, have recorded cases of this disease.
WHO statistics show that the number of dengue fever cases reached a record high of 5.2 million people in 2019, 10 times higher than in 2000.
Although 4 billion people worldwide are at risk of dengue fever, most people who get sick usually recover within 1 to 2 weeks.
People with severe dengue fever experience shock, bleeding or severe organ failure, leading to death. There are currently no antiviral drugs or specific treatments for the disease.
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