According to the head of the Pan American Health Organization, the number of dengue cases throughout the Americas increased threefold in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year.
According to PAHO experts, dengue is mostly affecting Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. This outbreak may be the worst the disease’s been in the Americas to date. Dengue is a fatal virus spread by mosquitoes.
At a televised press conference, PAHO head Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva said that this would be the worst dengue season ever.
Over 3.5 million dengue infections and over 1,000 deaths have been confirmed by PAHO, a United Nations organization, so far this year in the Americas.
Barbosa da Silva stated that approximately 4.5 million cases were reported throughout the area in 2023, indicating that the Americas are expected to witness their highest-ever case count this year.
Roughly half of the world’s population—roughly 4 billion people—live in dengue-risk zones. This information comes from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public health officials in the area should “redouble our efforts” to properly manage the outbreak with vector control and staff training to identify the most severe symptoms that patients exhibit, Barbosa da Silva emphasized, in light of the spike in infections.
Fever, headaches, vomiting, skin rashes, and soreness in the muscles and joints are some of the symptoms of dengue. It can occasionally result in more severe hemorrhagic fever, which can cause fatal hemorrhage.
The late summer months in the Southern Hemisphere, from February to May, are when the majority of dengue cases occur.
