South America, Central America and the Caribbean are hard hit by dengue fever

There is a strong chance that South America, Central America and the Caribbean will experience them “bad” Dengue epidemic. This was announced by Gerbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional arm of the World Health Organization, during a press conference on Thursday, March 28. As of Tuesday 26 March, the region had reported more than 3.5 million cases. This is three times more than the same period in 2023, which saw a total of 4.5 million cases during the year.

Dengue is an arbovirus, a disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes. It is indicated by a high fever, often associated with nausea, headache and vomiting. In rare cases, it develops into severe, potentially fatal forms. This year, more than a thousand people have died in the OPS area due to dengue fever. By 2023, the mortality rate was 51 deaths per 100,000 cases, according to the agency’s dashboard.

If the increase is recorded in all countries covered by PAHO, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina account for 92% of cases and 87% of deaths. Mr. Barbosa emphasizes that the upward trend is already significant in countries where dengue fever waves are expected later in the year, such as Barbados, Costa Rica or Mexico. In addition, dengue fever is spreading in places where it was not previously recognized, especially in regions of Uruguay. therefore, “Some countries are not prepared to deal with the increase in infections”.

environmental and “social” factors

In the Caribbean, more than 25,000 cases have been reported in three months, said Rhonda Seeley-Thomas, deputy director of PAHO. Regarding the French West Indies, the latest bulletin from Public Health France reported 180 cases of dengue in Guadeloupe and 320 in Martinique in the week of March 4 to 10, compared to 240 and 370 respectively in the previous week. The fact is that, considered for several months, Martinique is experiencing an epidemic “Worrying Progress”, According to the regional health agency. Guyana, meanwhile, reported 535 confirmed cases from March 4 to 10, up from 690 the previous week.

In the eyes of the PAHO director, environmental factors can explain the resurgence of dengue, such as rising temperatures and the frequency of heat waves, droughts that lead populations to store water in reservoirs. where the mosquito vector – Aedes aegypti – Like to settle, or storm.

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