Many countries in the Region of the Americas have recorded this year the highest number of cases of dengue, confirming a projection by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the disease would be very active in 2019 and rapidly progress in this region and elsewhere.
Recent data published by the Pan American Health Organization, which also serves as the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, show that countries reported more than 2.7 million cases and 1206 deaths from January to October 2019, of which over 1.2 million were laboratory-confirmed and more than 22 000 were classified as severe dengue. Despite the increase in case numbers, the proportion of deaths in dengue cases was 26% less in 2019.
Brazil alone reported more than 2 million cases, followed by Mexico and Nicaragua. The table below summarizes the highest number of dengue cases in six selected countries of the Region.
All four dengue virus serotypes (DENV 1, DENV 2, DENV 3 and DENV 4) are present in the Region, with co-circulation detected in Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico. Three serotypes co-circulate in Colombia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Panama and Venezuela (DENV 1, DENV 2 and DENV 3) and in Paraguay and Peru (DENV 1, DENV 2 and DENV 4).
|
Country |
Number of cases |
Serotypes reported |
|
Brazil |
2069502 |
1-2-3-4 |
|
Mexico |
181625 |
1-2-3-4 |
|
Nicaragua |
142740 |
2 |
|
Colombia |
101129 |
1-2-3 |
|
Honduras |
91681 |
1-2 |
|
Guatemala |
40597 |
1-2-3-4 |
Global problem
Global expansion and distribution of Aedes mosquitoes have established dengue in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Both endemic and epidemic transmission cycles occur, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
Several countries in WHO’s South-East Asia Region, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and in WHO’s Western Pacific Region such as Malaysia, Philippines and Viet Nam, have recorded more than 50 000 cases. Dengue outbreaks in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region continue in Pakistan, Sudan, Yemen; many countries of WHO’s Africa Region are also affected. WHO is working across all three levels of the Organization (global, regional and national) to coordinate and harmonize support to all affected countries based on their needs.
Rapid unplanned urbanization, changing land use patterns and increased international travel and trade have brought people into more frequent contact with vectors; climate and other environmental changes have added to their spread. Recently, other vector-borne diseases have moved into new areas and many that were once limited to tropical and subtropical zones are now increasingly seen in temperate areas.
