WHO launches plan to rein in 'alarming' dengue spread

GENEVA: The World Health Organization announced Thursday a global plan to battle dengue and other diseases carried by mosquitos as they spread faster and further amid climate change.

“The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

The UN health agency said the number of reported dengue cases has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, reported in just the first eight months of 2024.

That is already almost double the 6.5 million cases reported throughout the whole of 2023.

Dengue can cause high fever and body aches, but most people have no symptoms, and the WHO estimates that there are between 100 million and 400 million infections each year.

The disease is caused by an arbovirus carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitos, whose territory has spread as the planet warms.

Factors like unplanned urbanisation and poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices, as well as international travel, have also facilitated the rapid spread of the disease, which is now endemic in over 130 countries, WHO said.

Currently, an estimated four billion people worldwide are at risk of contracting dengue and other arboviruses, including chikungunya and zika, with that number estimated to swell to five billion by 2050, it warned.

WHO’s plan is aimed at fostering a coordinated global response, including through disease surveillance, laboratory activities, vector control and research and development of improved treatments and effective vaccines.

The agency said it would require $55 million in funding to implement the plan over the next year.

“From maintaining clean environments to supporting vector control and seeking and providing timely medical care, everyone has a role to play in the fight against dengue,” Tedros said.

“This plan is a roadmap to turn the tide against this disease and other Aedes-borne arboviral diseases, protect vulnerable populations and pave the way for a healthier future.”