Health
Millions of Dengue Cases for the Caribbean & Americas; 4,000 dead globally
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
December 29, 2023 – A record breaking amount of more than 4 million cases of dengue have been reported throughout the Caribbean and Americas for 2023 and this is linked to the increase in temperatures.
The Western Hemisphere is reported experiencing high numbers of infections not seen since record keeping began, and experts are saying the rising temperatures due to climate change as well as rapid urbanization, are contributing factors, speeding up the rate of infection.
In fact, the Associated Press reports that this year’s numbers surpass a record set in 2019. Also, it said officials of The Bahamas and Brazil, are complaining of crowded clinics and new infections daily.
Also, over 2,000 deaths in the region have been recorded.
Thais dos Santos, adviser on surveillance and control of arboviral diseases with the Pan American Health
She added that diseases like dengue, is a way of tracking the happenings regarding climate change, in this case, higher temperatures.
“Vector borne diseases, especially these diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes … provide us a really good sentinel of what is happening with climate change.”
In relation to this, Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey, Chief of the dengue branch for the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Puerto Rico, informed that mosquito habitats are being extended by high temperatures and that the virus is also being developed faster in mosquitos, resulting in higher viral loads and a higher probability of transmission.
Copernicus, the European climate service, says 2023’s Northern Hemisphere summer was the hottest ever, August temperatures 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages. This year is dubbed the second hottest on record.
Worldwide, more than 4.5 million cases of dengue had been reported as of early November, and more than 4,000 deaths reported in 80 countries.
The Caribbean reported a 15 percent increase in confirmed cases by early October compared with the same period last year, according to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Guadeloupe and Martinique declared an ongoing epidemic in August. Martinique is reporting an average of 800 cases a week on the island of some 394,000 inhabitants. Also, Jamaica and The Bahamas declared an outbreak in September followed by Barbados in October and Turks and Caicos in November.