Across the globe, nations are experiencing a dramatic increase in dengue incidence, with over fourteen million cases and ten thousand deaths worldwide in 2024. The swell of infections has been linked to climate change and is predicted to increase further as global temperatures continue to rise.
In 2024, there were over 14 million incidences and 10,000 dengue related deaths. Cases in the WHO PAHO region accounted for 12.5 million of those, and 53% were laboratory confirmed. 7000 deaths were reported in this region. In 2023, the approximate total of cases worldwide was 4.6 million; the number has more than tripled in one year.
“We looked at data on dengue incidence and climate variation across twenty-one countries in Asia and the Americas and found that there is a clear and direct relationship between rising temperatures and rising infections,” said Erin Mordecai, Associate Professor of Biology and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. “It’s evidence that climate change already has become a significant threat to human health and, for dengue in particular, our data suggests the impact could get much worse,” they continued.
Dengue, also known as “breakbone fever”, is a viral disease spread by two types of mosquitos, the Dengue mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. The symptoms of dengue include fevers, headaches, nausea and vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and rashes. Severe dengue symptoms include fatigue and restlessness, bleeding nose and gums, persistent vomiting, blood in the vomit, and shortness of breath. Severe dengue can lead to severe bleeding, low blood pressure or shock, comas, and death. Dengue has four types, an individual infected by one type will develop a long-term immunity to that type. However, they may still be infected with the other types and are at an increased risk of severe symptoms.
The spread of the dengue occurs between 18-34°C, with the optimum temperature being between 26-29°C. According to an article published on Stanford Report, the rising global temperature will increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in areas that were previously too cold, while other areas will become too hot and the risk will decrease.
The World Mosquito Organisation has found a species of bacteria that only lives inside insect cells and makes mosquitos far more resistant to becoming infected with dengue and other diseases. They have been releasing mosquitos with these bacteria to breed with other mosquitos and eventually take over the population. This method has seen success in many countries, including Australia.
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