Climate change is allowing mosquitoes to spread further and faster, causing an explosion in cases of dengue fever and other arbovirus diseases and forcing the WHO to launch a global plan to contain them.
"The rapid spread of dengue and other arbovirus diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that requires a coordinated response" across sectors and borders, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
According to the UN organization, the number of dengue cases serious enough to be tested has roughly doubled every year since 2021.
In the first eight months of 2024, more than 7,900 deaths have already been reported, out of more than 12.3 million confirmed cases or cases reported to the WHO.
This is almost double the 6.5 million cases reported for all of 2023.
Cases likely number in the hundreds of millions, but due to lack of testing or lack of reporting of symptoms.
Dengue fever can cause a high fever and body aches, but most people have no symptoms, and the WHO estimates that there are between 100 and 400 million infections each year.
The disease is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are spreading to new geographic areas as the planet warms.
Factors such as unplanned urbanization and poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices, as well as international travel, have also facilitated the rapid spread of the disease.
It is already endemic in more than 130 countries, the WHO points out.
It is currently estimated that four billion people worldwide – half the world's population – are at risk of contracting dengue fever and other arboviruses, including chikungunya and Zika, and that this number is expected to reach five billion by 2050, the organization warns.
The WHO plan aims to foster a coordinated global response, including disease surveillance, laboratory activities, vector control, and research and development of better treatments and effective vaccines.
The WHO said it will need $55 million (€50 million) in funding to implement the plan over the next year.
"From maintaining a clean environment to vector control, research and the provision of timely medical care, everyone has a role to play in the fight against dengue," Dr. Tedros insisted.
"This plan is a roadmap to reverse the trend against this and other arbovirus diseases transmitted by Aedes (aegypti), protect vulnerable populations and pave the way for a healthier future," he added.
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