Dengue fever, an unpleasant and sometimes fatal mosquito-borne illness, is hitting new records in the Americas. The World Health Organization reported that, while there were about 4.5 million recorded dengue cases in the Americas in 2023, those numbers had already surpassed 7 million by the end of April 2024.
What's happening?
Central and South America are currently experiencing what is likely "the worst dengue season" they've ever had, the head of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, said in a press conference reported on by Reuters. Brazil alone has reported over 6 million cases, per the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the continent's case numbers for early 2024 are comparable to the rest of the world's cases combined during the same period.
"They've reached this tipping point where there are enough infected humans that they're subsequently infecting other mosquitoes that are continuing to transmit disease," Michael von Fricken, director of a health research center at the University of Florida, told NBC.
Epidemiologists also speculate that it's only a matter of time before the disease becomes widespread elsewhere. It's particularly "concerning for places where dengue hasn't occurred before in recent history: North America and Europe," Dr. Albert Ko, an epidemiology professor at Yale University, told NBC. "We are definitely worried."
Dengue symptoms may include fever, vomiting, headaches, rashes, and muscle and joint pain; occasionally, cases can lead to internal bleeding and death.
Why is this surge worrying?
The rise of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks is particularly concerning because it paints a grim future, considering that the continued warming of the planet fosters an abundance of mosquitoes.
As the planet's temperatures continue to rise, the prevalence of hot, humid air and tropical storms also increases. Unfortunately, hot and humid and damp conditions are precisely the ones in which mosquitoes thrive.
Because of this, more regions will become hospitable breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and the breeding season will be longer in areas with already sizable mosquito populations. One study found that transmission seasons for dengue and malaria in certain regions could lengthen by up to an additional four months per year by the end of the century, putting more people at risk.
Even effective vaccination programs could not tame the ongoing outbreak immediately, Barbosa warned, as quoted in a separate Reuters report.
What's being done about this?
In an effort to maintain accurate disease surveillance and tracking, the World Health Organization launched the Global Arbovirus Initiative, which, according to a statement, aims to "ensure efficient response, evidence-based practice, equipped and trained personnel, and engagement of communities."
Additionally, taking steps at a local level to curb planet-heating pollution and reduce waste can help prevent mosquitoes from breeding and stop disease transmission in its tracks.
If you live in or are traveling to a mosquito-prone area, always check the vaccination recommendations and be prepared with tools like bug spray, bed nets, and long-sleeved clothing.
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