Warmer Weather Brings Mosquitoes and Virus
Warmer weather, caused by the climate crisis, lets mosquitoes carrying viruses spread further.
Health officials reported a big jump in dengue fever deaths across the Caribbean and Americas in 2024. This is because warmer weather lets mosquitoes carrying the virus spread more.
So far in 2024, over 7,700 deaths from dengue fever have been reported. This is a huge increase from 2023, where only 2,467 deaths were reported.
A pest control worker in Jakarta used insecticides in May 2024 to fight mosquitoes spreading dengue fever.
Dengue fever has seen a record 12.4m cases in 2024. What's causing this massive outbreak worldwide?
This year, a record 12.6m suspected cases of the virus have been reported. This is nearly three times the number from last year, the Pan American Health Organization (Paho) said.
The number of cases in the region is the highest since records started in 1980, Paho's director, Jarbas Barbosa, said.
“This is linked directly to climatic events,” he said. Warmer temperatures, droughts, and flooding are to blame. Fast population growth, unplanned urbanization, and poor sanitation also play a role.
The virus has spread worldwide since last year. It has even reached areas that were once free of dengue, Paho said.
Brazil has seen the most dengue cases, with over 10m. Argentina and Mexico follow with over 580,000 and half a million cases, respectively.
In the Caribbean, Guyana leads with over 41,000 cases. French Guiana, the Dominican Republic, and Martinique also have high numbers.
Local dengue transmission has been reported in California, Florida, and Texas this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
There are four types of dengue virus, known as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Having one type does not protect you from others.
A dengue-transmitting mosquito, Aedes aegypti, in São Paulo, Brazil.
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For the first time in a decade, dengue serotype 3 has become common in Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean, Paho's Thais dos Santos said.
Many people don't show symptoms, but some get headaches, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Severe cases can lead to serious bleeding, shock, and death. Getting dengue more than once is especially dangerous.
Dengue cases usually rise during the wet season. But by late March, Puerto Rico had already declared an epidemic. Officials warn that controlling it depends on residents' cooperation.
Puerto Rico has reported over 4,900 cases and at least nine deaths this year. Victims include a 17-year-old girl and a 31-year-old woman.
Cases in Puerto Rico have nearly quadrupled from last year, government data shows.
Lydia Platón, a 55-year-old English professor at the University of Puerto Rico, got dengue in October. “You have fever all the time. You have horrible chills,” she said. “I don’t feel that my energy has returned yet.”
This year, over a third of cases in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Paraguay are in children under 15. Guatemala has seen a high number of child deaths, Barbosa said.
Vaccines against dengue have been introduced in Peru, Brazil, and Argentina. Honduras will get them next year. But they are mainly for children and work best for those already infected once, Dos Santos said.
She noted that supplies are limited. Vaccines won't greatly reduce transmission. Preventive measures are still key.
“If there’s no mosquito, there’s no dengue,” she said.
