The warning came as WHO reported more than five million dengue infections and 5,000 deaths from the disease worldwide this year.
Briefing journalists at the UN in Geneva,Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHO Team Lead on Arboviruses, said that the threat required “the maximal attention and response from all levels” of the UN health agency to support countries in controlling current dengue outbreaks and prepare for the upcoming dengue season.
Global warming infection boost
Dengue is the most common viral infection transmitted to humans bitten by infected mosquitoes. It is mostly found in urban areas within tropical and sub-tropical climates.
The rise in the number of reported cases of dengue in more countries is explained by the fact that infected mosquitoes now thrive in more countries because of global warming associated with rising emissions.
“Climate change has an impact in dengue transmission because it increases rainfall, humidity and temperature,” said Dr. Alvarez. “These mosquitoes are very sensitive to temperature.”
Although four billion people are at risk from dengue, most of those infected are symptom-free and usually recover within one to two weeks.
However, severe dengue infections are marked by shock, severe bleeding or severe organ impairment, according to WHO.
It also highlighted that these dangerous symptoms often start “after the fever has gone away”, catching carers and medical professionals unawares. Warning signs to look out for include intense abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums, fluid accumulation, lethargy, restlessness and liver enlargement.
As there is no specific treatment for dengue, early detection and access to proper medical care is crucial, to lower the probability to die due to severe dengue.
“Since the beginning of this year, over five million cases and about 5,000 deaths of dengue have been reported worldwide and close to 80 per cent of those cases have been reported in the Americas, followed by Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific,” reported Dr. Alvarez.
She added that “it is also concerning that dengue outbreaks are occurring in fragile and conflict-affected countries in the eastern Mediterranean region such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
The global prevalence of mosquitoes has changed in the last few years owing to the 2023 El Niño phenomenon which accentuated the effects of global warming temperatures and climate change, WHO said.
Home and Away
Both factors are associated with previously dengue-free countries such as France, Italy and Spain reporting cases of infections that originated at home – so-called autochthonous transmission – rather than abroad. The disease vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is widely distributed in Europe and also more commonly known as the “tiger mosquito”.
“Usually, Europe reports imported cases from the Americas, from the Western Pacific, from the endemic regions”, said Dr. Alvarez. “But this year we saw limited clusters of autochthonous transmission. As we know, the summers are getting warmer”.
Taarifa hiyo ilitolewa wakati WHO iliporipoti kuwa watu milioni tano wameambukizwa homa ya dengue na watu 5,000 wamefariki kutokana na ugonjwa huo duniani kote mwaka huu. Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari katika Jumba la Umoja wa Mataifa mjini Geneva, Dkt. Diana Rojas Alvarez, kiongozi wa timu ya WHO juu ya Arboviruses, alisema kwamba tishio hilo linahitaji "umakini mkubwa na majibu kutoka ngazi zote" za shirika la afya la Umoja wa Mataifa kusaidia nchi kudhibiti milipuko ya sasa ya homa ya dengue na kujitayarisha kwa msimu ujao wa homa ya dengue. Ugonjwa wa Dengue ni ugonjwa wa kawaida unaopitishwa kwa binadamu kwa kuumwa na mbu walioambukizwa. Inapatikana hasa katika maeneo ya mijini ndani ya hali ya hewa ya kitropiki na subtropiki. Ongezeko la idadi ya visa vya homa ya dengue katika nchi nyingi linaelezwa na ukweli kwamba mbu walioambukizwa sasa wanaendelea katika nchi nyingi kwa sababu ya ongezeko la joto duniani linalohusiana na ongezeko la uzalishaji wa gesi. "Mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa yana athari kwa maambukizi ya homa ya dengue kwa sababu huongeza mvua, unyevu na joto", alisema Daktari Alvarez. "Wanyama hao wa mbu wana hisia kali sana kwa joto, ingawa watu bilioni nne wako hatarini kwa sababu ya homa ya dengue, wengi wa wale walioambukizwa hawana dalili na kwa kawaida hupona ndani ya wiki moja hadi mbili.""" Ugonjwa wa homa ya dengue unaoweza kuambukiza mtu kwa urahisi, unaoweza kusababisha mshtuko, kutokwa na damu, au kuharibika kwa viungo vya mwili, WHO imesema. Pia ilionyesha kwamba dalili hizi hatari mara nyingi huanza <unk> baada ya homa kutoweka<unk>, wakishambulia watunzaji na wataalamu wa matibabu bila kujua. Dalili za kuonya ni pamoja na maumivu makali ya tumbo, kutapika kwa muda mrefu, damu ya matumbo, mkusanyiko wa maji, usingizi, kutokuwa na utulivu na upanuzi wa ini. Kwa kuwa hakuna matibabu maalum ya homa ya dengue, kugundua mapema na kupata huduma sahihi ya matibabu ni muhimu, ili kupunguza uwezekano wa kufa kutokana na homa kali ya dengue. Tangu mwanzo wa mwaka huu, zaidi ya kesi milioni tano na karibu vifo vya 5,000 vya homa ya dengue vimeripotiwa ulimwenguni kote na karibu asilimia 80 ya kesi hizo zimeripotiwa katika Amerika, ikifuatiwa na Asia ya Kusini Mashariki na Pasifiki Magharibi, "Alvarez aliripoti. "Ameongeza kuwa ""ni jambo la wasiwasi pia kwamba milipuko ya homa ya dengue inatokea katika nchi dhaifu na zilizoathiriwa na migogoro katika mkoa wa mashariki mwa Mediterania kama vile Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia na Yemen.""" "Utawala wa mbu umebadilika katika miaka michache iliyopita kutokana na hali ya El Niño ya 2023 ambayo iliongeza athari za joto la dunia na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, ""alisema WHO." "Watu wengi wanaamini kuwa ""dengu haikupata nchi kama Ufaransa, Italia na Hispania, ambazo ziliripoti visa vya maambukizi yaliyotokana na nyumbani - kinachoitwa ""kuambukizwa kwa asili"" - badala ya nje ya nchi." Vector ya ugonjwa ni mbu Aedes aegypti, ambayo imesambazwa sana huko Ulaya na pia inajulikana zaidi kama <unk>mbu ya tiger<unk>. "Kwa kawaida, Ulaya inaripoti visa vilivyoletwa kutoka Amerika, kutoka Pasifiki Magharibi, kutoka mikoa ya asili", alisema Daktari Alvarez. <unk>Lakini mwaka huu tuliona makundi madogo ya maambukizi ya asili. Kama tunavyojua, majira ya kiangazi yanakuwa ya joto zaidi.