Dengue Fever Is Soaring Worldwide: What to Know and How to Protect Yourself

Governments and public well being specialists around the globe are sounding the alarm in regards to the record-high unfold of some of the infamous—and incurable—illnesses, which about half the world is liable to catching: dengue.

The mosquito-borne virus has a protracted historical past in heat climates however is now additionally rising in areas the place it had been usually unparalleled—equivalent to in Europe and elements of the U.S. By early December, there had already been greater than 5 million dengue infections worldwide this yr—a dramatic improve from some 500,000 instances in 2000—recorded across at least 80 countries and territories. Greater than 5,500 folks have died thus far in 2023, based on Save the Children.

In October, California announced its first case of locally-transmitted dengue virus. In March, dengue was found in Sudan’s capital Khartoum for the primary time within the metropolis’s document, placing its already underfunded healthcare system beneath severe pressure. 

In the meantime, in international locations the place dengue was already endemic, this yr has seen the virus unfold at an unprecedented scale. Amid the worst outbreak in Bangladesh’s historical past, dengue instances had been reported in all 64 of the nation’s districts, and by mid-November the illness had contaminated 291,832 folks and killed 1,476. Peru’s well being minister, who in June declared a state of emergency in most elements of the nation to take care of a raging dengue outbreak, resigned the identical month as infections and deaths continued to mount.

A risk assessment report revealed Tuesday by the Pan-American Well being Group famous that the “lack of sturdy dengue surveillance and administration methods raises considerations about potential undetected instances or unrecorded journey actions that might contribute to unnoticed illness unfold.”

There may be at the moment no antiviral remedy for dengue, although the signs can normally be managed with drugs. Right here’s what to know in regards to the illness—and tips on how to maintain your self protected.

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What are the signs of dengue fever?

The signs skilled by these contaminated with dengue can range broadly: up to 80% of dengue instances are asymptomatic, and whereas some infections could set off solely flu-like signs, extra severe instances can lead to inside bleeding that might result in demise. 

A few of the extra widespread signs of dengue infections embrace excessive fever, nausea, vomiting, and extreme muscle and joint ache—the latter of which is how the illness earned the nickname “breakbone fever.” 

When detected early and with entry to medical care, the mortality fee of dengue is lower than 1%—although that determine rises to 2-5% for extreme dengue instances. If left untreated, nonetheless, the mortality fee of dengue can attain 20%.

How does dengue unfold and why is it on the rise?

Dengue is often unfold by means of contaminated feminine Aedes aegypti (Egyptian tiger) mosquitoes that thrive in stagnant water, passing from one particular person to a different by means of mosquito bites. The illness may also be transmitted from pregnant girls to their infants, and, in uncommon instances, by means of blood transfusions, organ transplants, or needle accidents.

An grownup Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen beneath a microscope on the insectarium of Universitas Gajah Mada in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Dec. 8, 2023.

Dasril Roszandi—Anadolu/Getty Photos

The illness, which has lengthy been a public well being concern in Asia and Latin America, has seen an uptick attributed partly to the resurgence of world journey after the COVID pandemic. This yr’s El Niño climate phenomenon, which contributes to hotter temperatures, can also be believed to have exacerbated dengue outbreaks in tropical international locations.

Amid rising international temperatures as a result of local weather change which have made extra elements of the world appropriate for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to breed, specialists are more and more warning in regards to the risk dengue is ready to pose to the southern elements of the U.S. and Europe, in addition to new areas in Africa.

Researchers have additionally pointed to the impact of urbanization on dengue transmission. 

Moreover merely rising inhabitants density, the enlargement of informal urban settlements with no entry to plumbing networks has fostered amongst stagnant saved water and uncovered litter prime breeding and feeding grounds for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, that are already well-adapted to city environments.

Battling the document surge in dengue instances, well being care methods the world over are being examined in unprecedented methods—some buckling beneath overwhelming demand, as specialists raise concerns in regards to the human prices of poor governmental dengue responses. Public nervousness and anger can also be mounting: in September, opposition occasion members in India staged a public protest in Kolkata criticizing the federal government’s response to dengue.

What are authorities around the globe doing to fight dengue?

Fumigation stays one of many oldest and most generally used strategies to kill mosquitoes around the globe. Nonetheless, mosquito fogging is seeing waning effectiveness. Regardless of many years of chemical management, researchers warn, dengue outbreaks have intensified as mosquitoes develop resistance to chemical compounds.

A metropolis employee fumigates a market at evening within the battle towards the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus, in Guatemala Metropolis, Guatemala, on Aug. 31, 2023.

Sandra Sebastian—picture-alliance/dpa/AP

An modern effort led by the World Mosquito Program, at the moment being examined in over a dozen international locations, goals to battle mosquito-borne viruses with mosquitoes. Beneath this system, authorities release special mosquitoes bred to hold a micro organism referred to as Wolbachia, which blocks the transmission of viruses that trigger dengue, zika, and yellow fever. 

Nonetheless, not all are welcoming of the formidable plan. When Indonesian authorities introduced the discharge of 200 million Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes in Bali, the plan was met with vehement opposition from each specialists and locals, who had little belief within the outcomes of a small-scale pilot examine held in one other Indonesian metropolis and had been nervous that Bali residents could be made “lab rats.”

Close by in Singapore, the place the Wolbachia undertaking is in full swing, environmental company personnel conduct regular inspections of properties and different websites to verify for potential mosquito breeding grounds and accumulate water samples for laboratory exams. House owners of premises which can be discovered to have mosquito breeding could also be fined or imprisoned. 

Singapore additionally tracks dengue clusters rising within the city-state. An analogous initiative is run by Boston Youngsters’s Hospital to track global reports of dengue cases within the media, and researchers in London introduced earlier this month the world’s first “dengue dashboard” to mannequin and predict the unfold of the illness the world over, which is anticipated to launch subsequent yr. 

“We’d like native plans to battle dengue—at village and metropolis degree—and with the involvement of communities,” said Yasir Arafat, a well being advisor at Save the Youngsters, in an announcement spotlighting the hazard of this yr’s dengue infections. “Funding wants to higher anticipate excessive climate and local weather shocks to handle the danger and never simply the disaster.”

How are you going to shield your self towards dengue?

Authorities advocate utilizing insect repellent to attempt to keep away from dengue an infection.

Black Lollipop—Getty Photos

With scientists anticipating dengue to achieve locations that haven’t been acquainted with the illness, governments around the globe have been sharing best practices to stop the unfold of dengue. These embrace utilizing insect repellent, sporting long-sleeved shirts and lengthy pants, utilizing insect screens on home windows and doorways, and performing common checks in your house for stagnant water. 

There are at the moment two dengue vaccines commercially out there: Qdenga, which is recommended by the World Well being Group for youngsters aged six to 16 or these dwelling in locations with excessive threat of dengue transmission, and Dengvaxia, which is recommended by the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention for youngsters aged 9 to 16 who’ve had earlier dengue an infection. (The world’s first dengue vaccination program, launched within the Philippines in 2016, nonetheless, was discovered to increase the severity of the disease for recipients of Dengvaxia who had been later contaminated with dengue, leading to decreased confidence in all vaccines within the nation.) 

For individuals who have been contaminated with dengue, the WHO recommends ingesting loads of liquids, getting ample relaxation, avoiding utilizing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen and aspirin—as an alternative, go for paracetamol for ache reduction—and searching for medical consideration if you happen to expertise any extreme signs.

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