Worst dengue outbreak prevails in Caribbean: REPORTS

Latin America and Caribbean regions are facing what might be their worst dengue fever outbreak in recent decades. Since the start of this year, regional health authorities have reported more than 3.5 million cases and about a thousand deaths from the dengue virus.

According to the WHO, dengue spreads due to the bite of a specific kind of mosquito named Aedes aegypti. The mosquito initially becomes infected when it feeds on the body of someone suffering from the disease. And in about a week’s time, the mosquito transmits this virus by biting a healthy person.

Director of Pan American Health Organization, Jarbas Barbosa expressed his concern, stating that this dengue season might turn out to be one of the worst he has ever experienced.

The number of reported dengue cases have been increasing over the past few years. The cases have increased from 20,349 in 2022 to 62,460 in 2023 across the Caribbean region, an approximately threefold increase.

Not only the cases of dengue are on rise but also it is spreading gradually in the areas which are typically labeled as ‘Dengue free’. The infection generally is symptom-free in the majority of cases, but it manifests as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in severe cases.

DHF is more common in the urban and semi urban areas with tropical type of climate.

The World Health Organization estimates that there are around 100 to 400 million cases of infection yearly around the globe. However, most of which are observed to be asymptomatic or mild.

Considering the increase in cases of infections, travellers are advised to be more cautious and follow certain precautionary measures like consulting their doctors in case of sudden fever, rashes or joint pain occur. While returning back to their countries, in case of any discomfort they are recommended to consult their doctors and provide them with accurate travel history.

If everyone takes responsibility for preventing the infection on a personal basis, it will in turn, help to prevent the infection on a community level. Hence the outbreak can be brought down to an extent by following guidelines and advisories.