Painful Disease on Brink of Spreading, Health Officials Warn

Global health officials are sounding the alarm on dengue fever, warning that the illness could pose a major worldwide threat in the coming decade.

Dengue fever is a disease known to be spread by mosquitos in tropical and subtropical regions, where the climate generally lacks a significantly colder season when insects might hibernate. Developing out of an initial infection with the dengue virus, the disease can result in a high fever, headaches, vomiting, and prominent skin rashes. Also known as "breakbone fever," dengue fever is also known to result in joint pain and muscle spasms. Pregnant patients and those who have contracted the disease in the past are especially vulnerable.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. suggests that around 5 percent of infectees will develop a severe case of dengue fever, which can heavily impact blood health and result in bleeding, while around 1 percent will develop a case that is ultimately fatal. The disease is particularly common in Asia and Latin America, where it causes an estimated 20,000 deaths per year.

As officials have begun to predict record numbers of dengue fever infections by the end of the year, the chief scientist for the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the disease is expected to begin spreading into other, non-tropical parts of the world, including Europe, North America, and southern regions in Africa. This, the organization explained, is due to the escalating impact of global warming caused by climate change. As their traditional habitats continue to heat up, dengue-spreading mosquitos will be pushed into new areas that they have never previously inhabited.

"We need to talk much more proactively about dengue," WHO chief scientist Jeremy Farrar said. "We need to really prepare countries for how they will deal with the additional pressure that will come...in the future in many, many big cities."

Newsweek reached out to the WHO via email for comment.

Since the year 2000, global rates of dengue fever have risen approximately eight times over, driven by accelerating global climate change and its resulting spikes in temperatures. Around 4.2 million cases of the disease were reported last year, with 2023 expected to see a record-breaking number when all is said and done.

Dengue fever can be combated with a vaccine, Qdenga from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which is currently only recommended by the WHO for children ages 6-16 in regions traditionally impacted by the disease.