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WHO alarmed: Dengue is spreading rapidly

The Asian tiger mosquito transmits the dangerous disease - and also brings it to Europe.

(Bild: fotomarekka, stock.adobe.com)

There are already 70 percent more cases of dengue fever than in the entire previous year, warns the World Health Organization (WHO). Caution is particularly important before the upcoming summer vacation, as the disease is also spreading more rapidly in popular vacation destinations for Austrians. This is made possible by the increasing spread of the Asian tiger mosquito - which is gradually settling in Austria.

The number of infections has been rising for five years, but the situation on the American continents has been particularly worrying since the beginning of 2024, the WHO reported in Geneva on Thursday. By April, more than seven million cases had been reported there, significantly more than the 4.5 million cases in the whole of 2023.

Dengue is a viral disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical climate zones and can be life-threatening. It can be transmitted by the Asian tiger mosquito, which is not only spreading in southern Europe, but is also becoming increasingly common in Austria.

Southern Europe "ideal environment for the spread"
 Dengue outbreaks are particularly common in popular vacation destinations such as Croatia, Portugal, Spain, France and Italy, according to the WHO. Last year, 82 cases were reported in Italy, the most in the whole of Europe.

Dengue, a global threat

Many people show no symptoms or only a low fever after being infected. In severe cases, however, severe bleeding and organ damage can occur. "Given the current scale of dengue outbreaks, the potential risk of further international spread and the complexity of factors affecting transmission, the overall risk at the global level is still considered high," the WHO said. Dengue remains a global threat to public health.

"The situation in southern Europe is certainly worrying," explains Marcel Conrad from the A3M crisis early warning service to the tourism portal fvw.de. "The combination of the vector mosquito, sufficient virus carriers in the population and suitable climatic conditions creates an ideal environment for the spread of dengue fever."

Thousands already dead this year
According to the WHO, there have already been cases in 90 countries this year up to the end of April. 7.6 million have been reported, 3.4 million of which have been confirmed. In more than 16,000 cases, people have become seriously ill and 3,000 have died.

However, many countries do not have the capacity for comprehensive surveillance, which is why the WHO assumes that there are actually many more cases. Containment is important because otherwise the disease could spread to countries where it has hardly been found so far.