The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Dengue spike fuels concerns of public health threat with over five million cases reported in over 80 countries in 2023: WHO
This year's surprising spike in dengue infections globally in 2023 represents a potentially high public health threat, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The warning came as WHO reported more than five million dengue infections and 5,000 deaths from the disease worldwide this year.
Briefing journalists on Friday at the UN in Geneva, Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO Team Lead on Arboviruses, said that the threat required “the maximal attention and response from all levels” of the UN health agency to support countries in controlling current dengue outbreaks and prepare for the upcoming dengue season.
Dengue is the most common viral infection transmitted to humans bitten by infected mosquitoes. It is mostly found in urban areas within tropical and sub-tropical climates.
The rise in the number of reported cases of dengue in more countries is explained by the fact that infected mosquitoes now thrive in more countries because of global warming associated with rising emissions.
“Climate change has an impact in dengue transmission because it increases rainfall, humidity and temperature,” said Dr. Alvarez. “These mosquitoes are very sensitive to temperature.”
Although four billion people are at risk from dengue, most of those infected are symptom-free and usually recover within one to two weeks.
However, severe dengue infections are marked by shock, severe bleeding or severe organ impairment, according to WHO.
It also highlighted that these dangerous symptoms often start “after the fever has gone away”, catching carers and medical professionals unawares. Warning signs to look out for include intense abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums, fluid accumulation, lethargy, restlessness and liver enlargement.
As there is no specific treatment for dengue, early detection and access to proper medical care is crucial, to lower the probability to die due to severe dengue.
“Since the beginning of this year, over five million cases and about 5,000 deaths of dengue have been reported worldwide and close to 80 per cent of those cases have been reported in the Americas, followed by Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific,” reported Dr. Alvarez. She added that “it is also concerning that dengue outbreaks are occurring in fragile and conflict-affected countries in the eastern Mediterranean region such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The global prevalence of mosquitoes has changed in the last few years owing to the 2023 El Niño phenomenon which accentuated the effects of global warming temperatures and climate change, WHO said.
Both factors are associated with previously dengue-free countries such as France, Italy and Spain reporting cases of infections that originated at home – so-called autochthonous transmission - rather than abroad. The disease vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is widely distributed in Europe and also more commonly known as the “tiger mosquito”.
“Usually, Europe reports imported cases from the Americas, from the Western Pacific, from the endemic regions”, said Dr. Alvarez. “But this year we saw limited clusters of autochthonous transmission. As we know, the summers are getting warmer”.
-ends-
STORY: Global dengue situation – WHO
TRT: 2:48”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 22 December 2023 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot: UN building with UN flag, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “WHO has assessed the risk of dengue as high globally. What it means: it requires the maximal attention and response from all levels of the organization to support countries around the world, controlling the current dengue outbreaks and also preparing for the countries to respond to the upcoming dengue season.”
- Cutaway: Medium shot, UN building with UN flag
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “The main drivers of dengue transmission are mostly social and environmental factors. So, unplanned urbanization, population growth and other factors that are related with the globalization process are part of the transmission dynamics of dengue. Climate change has an impact in dengue transmission because it increases rainfall, humidity and temperature. So, these mosquitoes are very sensitive to temperature.”
- Cutaway: Medium shot UN entrance at Place des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “Mosquitoes can thrive in more countries because of increasing temperatures due to climate change many more countries are reporting cases. About four billion people are at risk of becoming infected with dengue virus, but most of the people won't get any symptoms. But for those who do, they will recover within 1 to 2 weeks.”
- Cutaway: Wide shot, Ariana Park at the UN Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “Since the beginning of this year, over five million cases and about 5,000 deaths of dengue have been reported worldwide and close to 80 per cent of those cases have been reported in the Americas, followed by Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. The distribution of the mosquitoes that transmit dengue and other mosquito borne viruses have changed in the last few years due to several social and environmental factors.”
- Cutaway: Wide shot, Ariana Park at the UN Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “It is also concerning that dengue outbreaks are occurring in fragile and conflict-affected countries in the eastern Mediterranean region such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen.”
- Cutaway: Medium shot, UN building with UN flag
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, Team Lead on Arboviruses at the WHO: “Usually Europe reports imported cases from the Americas, from the Western Pacific, from the endemic regions. But this year we saw limited clusters of autochthonous transmission. As we know, the summers are getting warmer and there are two main vectors of this virus. One is Aedes aegypti mosquito which is widely distributed in Europe and it is called the tiger mosquito.”
- Cutaway: Wide shot, UN building with flag alley
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , OHCHR , UNHCR
Myanmar’s military has continued to launch airstrikes and other attacks against opposition forces in the devastated country, one week since a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck and despite announcing a ceasefire, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Tuesday presented a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, detailing the continued violations of human rights as a result of the offensive launched by the Rwandan-backed M23 in eastern DRC.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , IFRC
UN humanitarians and partners on Tuesday expressed deep shock at the killing of 15 colleagues on duty in southern Gaza whose remains were recovered from a shallow grave after a week-long rescue operation, noting that one worker is still missing.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA , WHO , UNHCR
Myanmar earthquake latest: window for lifesaving support is closing, say UN humanitarians
As the death toll continues to rise in earthquake-struck Myanmar, UN humanitarians have been rushing to support severely deprived and traumatized victims, warning that the window for lifesaving response is closing.