Where are all These Dengue Fever Cases Coming From?

Dengue Fever on the Rise 

Dengue fever is a severe disease caused by transfer of viral agents from an infected mosquito to a human. Although dengue fever doesn’t always present severe symptoms, it is often dangerous and can result in death. Symptoms of dengue fever can be very painful, and may persevere even after the fever itself has been eliminated. Since 2000, cases of dengue fever have been rising rapidly, and the WHO has reported that from the years 2000 to 2019, rates of dengue fever have increased eightfold. 2024 alone has so far seen double the amount of cases of 2023, which shows the magnitude at which the rate of cases are increasing. Dengue fever is most commonly found in tropical regions, but it is a global threat. Recently, dengue fever has been straying from previous geographic barriers, reaching as far from the tropics as North America and Europe. One of the biggest concerns about dengue fever is the fact that there is currently no known cure. There are treatments that may help with symptoms, but the lack of a cure makes this disease a huge public health concern. 

3 Main Causes 

Dengue fever has been around for a long time, but not at the degree that it’s currently at. Because of the concerning escalation in cases, scientists have understandably started to look into why this may have been happening. The most major explanation is climate change. Weather patterns as a result of climate change have resulted in increasingly warm and wet years, which are two conditions that help disease-carrying mosquitoes thrive and spread into new geographic regions. In addition, dengue fever naturally occurs periodically. In the past, we have seen large outbreaks of dengue, and these outbreaks typically occur once every couple of years. However, outbreaks do become more common as the conditions for mosquitoes to breed become more favorable. Since this has been happening, the natural cycles of dengue rising and falling have become more severe. Third, the rise in international travel has also contributed to the rapid spread of dengue. Although dengue fever isn’t directly spread from person to person, when people travel to areas where dengue is common, they are at a much higher risk of infection. Although the hike in dengue fever cases can be attributed to several causes, research points towards climate change as the primary one. It is predicted that by 2050, climate change will be responsible for 60% of dengue fever cases if emissions continue at the same rate. 

How to Stay Safe

If you live in a region where dengue fever is common, or you’re planning to travel to one, there are ways to reduce your risk of infection. Since mosquitoes transmit the disease, one should try to protect themself from bites by wearing loose clothing with good coverage and by using EPA-registered bug repellent. In addition, if you have contracted an infected mosquito, it’s important to avoid any other bites to make sure that uninfected mosquitoes cannot become infected and spread the fever from biting you. There is also a dengue vaccine that can be used after infection, although it is not technically a cure for dengue fever. Overall, one should be conscious and try to avoid mosquitos in general when they’re in areas where dengue is common. Although there is no cure for the infection, vaccines and other treatments can make recovery possible, especially since most cases of dengue are quite mild. 

Works Cited

CDC. “Dengue on the Rise: Get the Facts.” CDC, 7 August 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/stories/dengue-on-the-rise-get-the-facts.html. Accessed 2024.

Richardson, Randi. “With dengue cases at an extreme high, research points to climate change's role.” NBC News, 16 November 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dengue-fever-climate-change-rcna179629. Accessed 2024.

World Health Organization. “Dengue and severe dengue.” World Health Organization, 23 April 2024, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue#:~:text=severe%20abdominal%20pain,feeling%20weak. Accessed 2024.