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Mahesh

25/09/24 11:49 AM IST

Dengue cases around the world

In News
  • A record number of cases have been reported around the world this year with Brazil and other South American countries worst affected.
Dengue
  • Dengue is a viral infection which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoe.
  • Most people with the infection report mild symptoms, but the disease is known to cause fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pains, nausea and vomiting, pain behind the eyes, and rashes.
  • In severe cases, however, the infection can lead to internal bleeding, and if not managed properly, even death.
  • Over the past two decades, there has been a “tenfold increase in reported cases”.
  • This makes dengue the “only infectious disease for which annual mortality is rising”.
People affected by dengue
  • More than 12 million cases and 6,991 deaths have been recorded globally till August this year, according to data from the WHO’s global dengue surveillance.
  • This is more than double the 5.27 million cases recorded in all of last year, which itself was a record.
  • Prior to last year, over the past decade, around two to three million annual cases of dengue had been reported at best.
  • Experts say that even 2024’s record numbers are likely to be an undercount.
  • This is because not all countries — including India — report their data to the global surveillance network.
  • Even among countries which report the data, not every dengue patient might have been tested and reported to the health authorities.
Dengue in India
  • Several cities have reported a surge in dengue cases over the past two months.
  • More than 32,000 cases and 32 deaths attributable to dengue were reported till June end, according to the latest available data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
  •  India had seen an almost 50% rise in the number of dengue cases reported this year, as compared to the same period in 2023.
  • Notably, India is also witnessing an increase in the geography of the infection.
  • The disease spread from only eight states and Union Territories in 2001 to every single state and UT in 2022, with Ladakh reporting the first two cases that year.
Reason for surge in cases
  • The triad of urbanisation, climate change, and the movement of people and goods” as facilitating the spread of dengue, and its mosquito vector.
  • The disease can spread more quickly in urban areas with a dense population.
  • This is because urban spaces provide ample breeding grounds to the Aedes aegypti mosquito which breeds in clean, stagnant water. An increase in cases is generally reported during and just after the monsoon.
  • An increase in temperatures allows mosquitoes to breed in places where they previously could not — in higher altitudes for instance.
  • “Global warming has definitely led to an increase in the prevalence of the vector in geographies it might previously not have been found.
  • The global movement of people and goods has, in general, led to a greater spread of infections that these people carry with them. However, better testing and reporting might also add to the “increase.
  • Apart from dengue, other infections such as chikungunya and zika, which are also transmitted by the same vector, have also been on the rise.
  • Zika was first reported in India in 2016 but there have been several outbreaks since then.
Prevention
  •  Individuals have to ensure that mosquitoes do not breed at their homes, or in their neighbourhoods. Collection of water in pots, planters, bird baths, etc. need to be prevented.
  • People need to protect themselves against mosquito bites. The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes bite during the day — wearing clothes which cover the entire body, especially during the monsoons, can prevent bites.
  • Public health systems have to focus on surveillance, and prediction of outbreaks.
  • This will ultimately help reduce the number of cases, and consequently deaths due to the infection.
  • The WHO recommends two vaccines: Sanofi’s Dengvaxia and Takeda’s QDenga. However, these have not received approval in India.
Source- Indian Express

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