Record dengue outbreak in Americas kills 7,700 this year, PAHO says

Published 12/10/2024, 02:43 PM
Updated 12/10/2024, 02:46 PM
© Reuters. Mosquitoes sit on still water in a neighborhood, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, July 23, 2024. REUTERS/Josue Decavele/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Reported cases of dengue in the Americas nearly tripled to a record high of over 12.6 million this year, including 21,000 severe cases and over 7,700 deaths, the Pan American Health Organization said on Tuesday.

This year's outbreak of dengue, the most common mosquito-borne disease worldwide, is the biggest since records began in 1980, according to the PAHO, which urged stronger mitigation efforts.

The deadly viral illness has hit Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico especially hard, with the four Latin American nations accounting for 90% of cases and 88% of deaths, according to a PAHO statement.

Children are at elevated risk of contracting dengue and suffering its more severe consequences.

In Guatemala, children represent 70% of dengue-related deaths, while those under age 15 make up more than a third of severe cases in Mexico, Costa Rica and Paraguay, PAHO data shows.

The organization, the Americas arm of the U.N.'s World Health Organization, notes that climate events across the region have favored mosquito proliferation, while also citing accumulated water and poor waste management as factors that boost breeding of the insects that carry and spread dengue.

Some 4 billion people, or around half the world's population, live in areas with a risk of contracting dengue, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.