PAHO, a United Nations agency, has confirmed more than 5.2 million cases of dengue across the Americas this year, an over 48% jump from the 3.5 million cases the group reported late last month.

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According to the Health Ministry, 75% of the mosquito breeding sites were found in homes, so awareness campaigns were increased and people were asked to take all precautionary measures possible.

In Sao Paulo, the incidence of dengue reached 414 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while other regions affected by the virus include Brasilia, Paraná, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro. and Minas Gerais. Experts have argued that a strong El Niño weather phenomenon coupled with temperatures higher than usual led to the present outcome, which is projected to reach 4.2 million positive cases by Dec. 31.

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Source: https://en.mercopress.com/2024/03/20/brazil-dengue-cases-so-far-in-2024-surpass-previous-yearly-figures

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The Guatemala Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance is reporting a significant increase in dengue fever cases in 2019 to date. On 29 July, the Minister of Health declared an Epidemiological Red Alert to report an “epidemiological crisis due to the increase in dengue cases” affecting over 75 percent of the country.

They report 9,943 total cases (a rate of 56.2/100,000 inhabitants) so far in 2019 versus 2,646 accumulated cases (a rate of 15.3/100,000) in 2018.

In addition, they report 27 deaths attributed to severe dengue (of a total of 38 cases), of which 65 percent were children under 15.

The presence of four dengue serotypes, predominantly of the DEN-2 serotype, increases the risk of severe dengue.

The highest number of cases have been reported in the municipality of Coatepeque in Quetzaltenango department and in Jacaltenango in Huehuetenango; however, active outbreaks are reported in 14 of 30 Health Regions in the country, especially in the municipalities of Jacaltenango, San Luis Jilotepeque, Joyabaj, Ixcan, Cuilapa, Nueva Santa Rosa, Mazatenango, Melchor de Mencos, San Benito, Poptún, San Luis Peten, Puerto Barrios, Morales, Chiquimula, Coatepeque and Malacatán.

Source: http://outbreaknewstoday.com/guatemala-dengue-outbreak-nears-10k-cases-predominantly-of-the-den-2-serotype-46742/

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Year-to-date, Honduras has reported 8017 total dengue cases, including 24 deaths during the first 4 1/2 months. In all of 2018, 7942 cases and 3 deaths were reported.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports the heaviest hit area in the country is Cortes department, accounting for six out of 10 cases.

“The behavior of this epidemic is unusual compared to previous dengue outbreaks,” says Dr. Deysi Fernández, MSF’s medical activity manager for the dengue response in Honduras. “This epidemic fluctuates, with a high number of cases some weeks and a decrease in other weeks.”

Honduras is not alone, dengue fever cases are up in the Americas as a whole with nearly 700,000 cases reported to date.

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Brazil health officials are reporting a dramatic increase in dengue fever cases during the first 23 weeks of 2019, according to recent data from the country’s Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde.

From Jan. 1 through June 8, 1,127,244 probable dengue cases were registered in the country (excluding discarded cases- some 300,000). This compares with 170,628 probable cases reported during the same period last year–a 560 percent increase.

Of this total, 596,381 cases were confirmed, including 366 fatalities and another 453 are under investigations.

The states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo account for the bulk of the cases.

Chikungunya

In 2019, through June 8, there were 65,826 probable cases of chikungunya in the country, up 4,000 cases from the same period last year.

15 deaths were confirmed (1 in Bahia, 13 in Rio de Janeiro and 1 in the District Federal).

Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, and Pará states have seen the largest burden.

Source: http://outbreaknewstoday.com/brazil-nearly-600k-dengue-cases-through-early-june-chikungunya-update-17553/

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The World Health Organization on Tuesday said tens of thousands of people are believed to be infected with dengue fever on La Réunion. The island – a French territory – is a popular vacation destination in the Indian Ocean.

Dengue is a set of viruses found in tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world. Humans get dengue from being bitten by mosquitos infected with the virus.

Health officials on the island told the WHO of the disease outbreak in March 2018. About 50,000 probable cases of the disease were reported between 2018 and April of this year. That includes 22,000 so far in 2019, the health agency said in a statement.

The WHO described the rise of confirmed and probable cases reported last year as unprecedented.

There is no treatment. But with early discovery and good medical care, fewer than one percent of people infected die from the disease.

The WHO said 14 people have died in the Réunion outbreak since 2018. The territory has a population of 866,500.

Around the world, the number of dengue cases dropped from 2017 to 2018. But there has been a huge increase in 2019, especially in Vietnam, Australia, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore.

More about dengue

About one in four people infected with dengue will get sick. Of those who do get sick, the symptoms can be mild to severe.

Severe dengue can be deadly and often requires hospitalization. Only a small percentage of people get severe dengue. Mild dengue can be mistaken for other sicknesses, such as influenza.

Symptoms often begin four to seven days after being bitten and commonly last two days to one week. They can include high fever, severe headaches, fatigue, vomiting, and, in severe cases, bleeding.

The first dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, was approved in 2015 for use in Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines. Several other countries followed in 2016.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Dengvaxia in 2019. The WHO says the vaccine should not be given to people who have not had an earlier dengue infection.

The World Health Organization notes that dengue fever is now common in over 100 countries. Forty percent of the world’s population lives in an area at risk for dengue.

I’m Caty Weaver.

Tom Miles wrote this report for Reuters news agency. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English with additional information from WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Words in This Story

destination – n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

tropical – adj. of or relating to the part of the world that is near the equator where the weather is very warm

mosquito – n. a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood

unprecedented – adj. not done or experienced before

symptom – n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present

mild – adj. not harsh or severe

vomiting – gerund. the act of food or liquid that is in your stomach coming out through your mouth because you are sick (verb: vomit)

Source: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/who-dengue-fever-numbers-rise-on-la-r%C3%A9union-/4926841.html

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The post El Niño Triggered Disease Outbreaks Across Globe first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

JAKARTA, Indonesia:  A outbreak of dengue fever claimed eight lives in the East Sumba district of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), according to local media on Wednesday.

The number of those infected who were treated at a public hospital reached 338, Indonesia’s Antara news agency said, citing Chrisnawan Try Haryantana, head of the East Sumba health office.

The total number of people killed since 2019 due to the mosquito-borne disease in NTT province hit 18.

The health office, along with the regional authorities, have intensified efforts to prevent the spread of the disease in the region, it added.

More than 15,000 dengue fever cases at 145 fatalities were registered in Indonesia as of Feb. 1, according to the country's health ministry.

Earlier, the health ministry said that the highest number of dengue cases, more than 3,070, was reported in East Java province, with 52 people dead.

“The ministry recorded 53,075 cases of dengue fever in 2018, some 68,407 cases in 2017, and 204,171 cases in 2016,” the news agency said.

Mosquitoes carrying malaria and dengue appear more frequently especially in the rainy season between October and April, while scientists warn high temperatures and prolonged rains cause an increase in mosquitoes breeding.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection, which is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. The infection causes flu-like illness, and occasionally develops into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue, according to the World Health Organization.

In Indonesia, dengue fever killed 1,600 people in 2016, and nearly 500 more in 2017.

Source: https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/13/02/2019/Dengue-fever-cases-on-rise-in-Indonesia

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“Rat fever” has killed at least 12 people with another 54 suspected fatal cases in the southern Indian state of Kerala since August, after the worst floods in almost a century, authorities said Tuesday.

A total of 372 people have been infected with the disease, known properly as leptospirosis and transmitted in water, soil or food containing urine from rodents and other animals.

The bacteria can enter the body through cuts or abrasions on the skin, or through the mouth, nose and eyes, according to the World Health Organisation. Person-to-person transmission is rare.

Early symptoms of leptospirosis such as high fever, muscle ache, vomiting, red eyes and chills are similar to those of other diseases, making it difficult for health workers to diagnose.

Other disease outbreaks including dengue fever following last month’s floods – which killed almost 500 people and forced more than a million from their homes – have left 28 dead.

More than 50,000 people have acute diarrhoea, authorities said. Cases of malaria and chickenpox have also been reported.

“We had anticipated leptospirosis due to contaminated water and are taking all measures to distribute preventive drugs in camps,” Kerala health director Sarita R.L. said.

The floodwaters have now largely receded and fewer than 10,000 people remain in temporary camps, down from 1.4 million at the height of the crisis.

The monsoon, which lasts from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year.

The death toll in India this year currently stands at around 1,400 across 10 states, and heavy rainfall is forecast across several areas in the coming days.

In the north-eastern state of Nagaland, 11 people have died and 50,000 others are stranded across some 530 villages, with roads including the national highway into the state cut.

Nagaland’s chief minister Neiphiu Rio took to Twitter to appeal for donations, posting photos of widespread damage and saying that 10 relief camps had been opened.

In the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand around 270 people have perished.

Earlier this year Kerala was also the epicentre of an outbreak of the Nipah virus, spread mainly by bats, which claimed 13 lives.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2162767/indian-state-hit-deadly-rat-fever-after-worst-floods-century

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The warming climate has unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Some climate effects on human health are direct, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels that threaten low-lying areas. Other climate change effects on health are no less unpredictable but more indirect.

The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
August and September are the primary transmission season for mosquito-borne diseases.

The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species, which can act as disease vectors between humans, have facilitated the rise in cases of tropical diseases in Southern Europe in the last decade.

Italy saw the first locally acquired case of “chikungunya” in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration.

There have also been cases of “dengue fever” in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever.

And the first EU cases of “West Nile fever” were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016.

The Asian Tiger mosquito is now listed as one of the top 100 invasive species by the Invasive Species Specialist Group.

It is thought that the invasion of the foreign mosquito species occurred when eggs were contained within bamboo imports to Europe, and in standing water found within imported vehicle tires.

Misdiagnosis
The rising trend in cases of tropical diseases is concerning.

While they are treatable, European doctors are not familiar enough with the diseases to diagnose them when patients have symptoms. The patient can, due to late or misdiagnosis, become much sicker before the appropriate treatment begins.

A further challenge for healthcare systems is that the diseases concerned are transmissible by blood.

The region of Ravenna, Italy, that saw the Chikungunya outbreak in 2007, suspended blood donations in the affected area to reduce the risk of transmission through blood transfusion. This was challenging because treatment for Chikungunya includes blood transfusion.

Ravenna’s health authorities were faced with rising demand for blood and a lower supply, which it then had to acquire externally from other regions.

For the same reasons, donations of blood by those who have travelled to an endemic region for tropical diseases, like malaria, would be refused for a period of months after their return as a precaution.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) monitors tropical disease outbreaks. While data reporting by member states of the ECDC is not mandatory, the level of compliance is high on tropical diseases.

Close monitoring and regular public updates are put into action during the transmission season. Disease fact sheets for governments and healthcare professionals are important aspects of the response, given how healthcare professionals usually know little to nothing about tropical diseases.

The ECDC’s resources are beneficial whether the disease is acquired in Europe, or when infected people return from travelling to endemic regions such as Africa and the Indian subcontinent.

The pharmaceutical industry has been criticised for not investing sufficiently in tropical disease vaccines and treatments. However, governments, academia and industry are increasingly turning their attention to finding new treatments for tropical diseases in recent years.

Public private partnerships, including the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative, have also sought to drive more research on neglected diseases.

NGOs have run campaigns to raise awareness and funding for the developing world on tropical diseases.

There are also organisations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding towards the prevention of tropical diseases, with programmes on bed nets and mosquito control.

Climate change driving disease
According to the World Health Organization, malaria kills more than half a million victims worldwide every year. Around 40 percent of the world’s population is exposed to this disease, and 250 million cases are reported annually.

The growing number of cases in Europe provide important lessons for healthcare systems on how climate change can be a driver of disease migration and how migration, travel and insect disease factors fit into that picture.

Steve Bridges is an independent health policy adviser in Brussels. His Health Matters column takes a closer look at health-related policies, issues and trends in the EU.

Source: https://euobserver.com/health/138689

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