12.6 million cases

Latin America is experiencing a severe dengue epidemic

Fight against dengue fever in Guatemala (archive image)

(Bild: Sandra Sebastian / dpa / picturedesk.com)

Latin America is currently experiencing the most severe dengue epidemic since records began in 1980. 12.6 million cases have been reported this year, almost three times as many as in 2023. Most people were infected in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.

Dengue fever is sometimes also called "breakbone disease" because of the pain it causes. Typical symptoms include fever, rash and headache, muscle, limb, bone or joint pain. The disease is transmitted by the yellow fever mosquito and is widespread in the tropics and subtropics.

Not every infected person falls ill, in many cases the course is mild. In one to five percent of cases, however, the disease takes a severe course or even ends fatally. Children are particularly at risk. "In countries like Guatemala, 70 percent of dengue fever-related deaths are in children," said Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This year, more than 7,700 people in Latin America have died from the viral disease.

Poor wastewater management
The reason for the severe epidemic was favorable conditions for the mosquitoes, including heavy rainfall and high temperatures. According to the PAHO, unregulated housing construction and poor wastewater management also favor the spread of the virus.

Programs are currently underway in several countries to release modified mosquitoes that prevent the growth of viruses. "Vaccination will not stop the spread of the virus in the short or medium term and offers no immediate help in the event of an outbreak," said Barbosa.