The World Health Organization warned Wednesday that dengue and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne arboviruses were spreading far faster and further amid climate change, warning global outbreaks could be looming.
‘Alarming’
Most concerning perhaps is the expanding geographic spread of both diseases, which are being reported further south in the Americas and are also moving into the northern hemisphere, including a number of European countries.
“The mosquitos and these diseases have with climate change been increasing … by altitude and by latitude,” Rojas Alvarez said, describing the situation as “alarming”.
“This high transmission (in the Americas) could be an anticipation of what the next summer season in the northern hemisphere might look like,” she warned.
The two diseases often cause just mild symptoms like fever, body ache and a rash.
But while most people who catch chikungunya experience symptoms for about a week, a full 40 percent will feel the effects for months and even years.
“It can cause lifelong disability,” Rojas Alvarez warned.
With dengue, which comes in four closely related serotypes, people who are reinfected with another serotype often develop severe disease.
This “can lead to organ failure and death”, Velayudhan warned, adding that “this is a big threat to the world, because most of the countries now have all four serotypes in circulation.”
He called for countries to boost mosquito control and “be on the alert” to detect when the diseases are spreading.
“We really want to avoid any major outbreak.”
