WHO alarmed by high number of dengue cases
Published: Friday, May 31st 2024, 05:00
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is alarmed by the already high number of dengue cases this year.
The number of infections has been rising for five years, but the situation on the American continents has been particularly worrying since the beginning of 2024, the WHO reported in Geneva on Thursday. By April, more than seven million cases had been reported there, significantly more than the 4.5 million cases in 2023 as a whole.
Dengue is a viral disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical climate zones and can be life-threatening. It can be transmitted by the Asian tiger mosquito, some of which are already found in southern Europe.
Cases in 90 countries
In total, there had already been cases in 90 countries by the end of April 2024. 7.6 million cases had been reported to the WHO, 3.4 million of which were confirmed. In more than 16,000 cases, people have become seriously ill and 3,000 have died. However, many countries do not have the capacity for comprehensive surveillance, which is why the WHO assumes that there are actually many more cases. Containment is important because otherwise the disease could spread to countries where it has hardly been found so far.
Many people show no symptoms or only a low fever after infection. In severe cases, however, severe bleeding and organ damage can occur. "Given the current scale of dengue outbreaks, the potential risk of further international spread and the complexity of factors affecting transmission, the overall risk at the global level is still considered high," the WHO said. Dengue remains a global threat to public health.
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