Dengue fever and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading much faster and farther as a result of climate change, WHO warned on Wednesday, which fears global outbreaks.
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World Health Organization experts have sounded the alarm over rising cases of dengue fever and chikungunya and say they expect further outbreaks of Zika.
These three diseases are caused by arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods) transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, nicknamed the tiger mosquito.
“Climate change has played a key role in facilitating the spread of mosquito vectors,” Raman Velayudhan, who coordinates WHO’s dengue and arbovirus initiative, told a press conference.
With his colleague Diana Rojas Alvarez, in charge of the fight once morest chikungunya and Zika, they called for rapid action to curb the spread of mosquitoes, in the face of the risk of outbreaks beyond historical transmission zones.
Mr Velayudhan called on countries to “be on the alert” to detect the spread of disease to “avoid any major outbreaks”.
Dengue fever is endemic in 100 countries, but poses a threat to 29 others. The number of cases has risen exponentially in recent years, from around half a million in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019, the worst year on record, Velayudhan said.
Cases were not properly reported during the Covid-19 pandemic, but numbers remained high.
Meanwhile, chikungunya, reported to date in 115 countries since its discovery in the 1950s, is experiencing a dramatic surge in the Americas region, Ms Rojas Alvarez said. Since January, around 135,000 cases have been reported in this region, compared to 50,000 in the first half of 2022.
Perhaps most worrying is the geographic expansion of the two diseases, southward from the Americas region and into the northern hemisphere, including some European countries.
“With climate change, mosquitoes and these diseases have multiplied…in altitude and latitude,” Ms Rojas Alvarez said, calling the situation “alarming”.
This strong transmission in the Americas “might be an anticipation of what the next summer season might be in the northern hemisphere,” she warned.
Both diseases often cause mild symptoms (fever, body aches, and rashes). Most people who get chikungunya only feel the symptoms for a week, but 40% of them feel the effects for months or even years.
“Chikungunya can lead to lifelong disability,” warned Ms. Rojas Alvarez.
