WHO: 4 Billion People In The World Are Infected With Dengue Fever

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - About four billion people are at risk of contracting dengue fever, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday, December 22.

The head of the arbovirus team from the epidemic preparedness and prevention department and the pandemic in the WHO emergency program, Diana Rojas Alvarez, during a UN meeting in Geneva said more than 5 million cases and 5,000 dengue fever deaths had been reported worldwide since early 2023.

"Almost 80 percent or 4.1 million cases of dengue fever were reported in America, Southeast Asia and the West Pacific," said Rojas, as quoted by Antara.

The UN official emphasized that in recent years the spread of mosquitoes has changed due to several factors.

In 2023 the phenomenon of El Nino and climate change will lead to an increase in the finding of dengue fever cases in countries previously free from the disease such as France, Italy, and Spain.

"It is also feared that dengue fever outbreaks occur in vulnerable countries and conflict-affected countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region of WHO, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen," he said.

According to Rojas, these countries simultaneously face infectious disease outbreaks, mass population transfer, poor sanitation and water infrastructure, and are again hit by natural disasters.

The same thing happened in Africa, where dengue fever cases were found in local communities and people returning from more than 30 African countries.

"The bloody fever is not endemic in Europe and most cases are usually related to travel," according to the UN health agency.

However, the WHO of the European Region also reported a small and limited cluster of cases of local hemorrhagic fever this year.