E’ record of deaths in Argentina due to the Dengue epidemic. In the 2023 the cases are already 41,257 and 39 deaths. An increase of 48.4% compared to 2020. Numbers that raise the alarm globally. Sources from the Argentine Ministry of Health report that serotype 2-Cosmopolitan, the variant, was detected in all the samples studied, which so far had not been circulating in the country but only in Brazil and Peru.
But what are we talking about? Dengue is one infectious disease caused by four variants of the same virus that is transmitted through the mosquito bite. The disease, as specified by Republicdoes not spread by direct contact, but can also be transmitted through organ transplants and blood transfusions. Dengue affects infants, children and adults with symptoms appearing 3-14 days later the infective bite. Bites from infected mosquitoes cause severe flu-like illness and sometimes a life-threatening complication called severe dengue fever, previously known as dengue hemorrhagic fever. First recognized in the 1950s during the dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand, severe dengue affects countries in Asia and Latin America and becamein these areas, one of the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children and adults.
Are we at risk? The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued an alarm regarding the possible drastic increase in outbreaks of arboviruses (viruses transmitted to humans by insects), including: dengue, zika and chikungunya. He also spoke on the matter Matthew Bassettidirector of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the San Martino polyclinic in Genoa. “Dengue is frightening in South America. More than 40,000 cases and 39 deaths have been recorded in Argentina since the beginning of the year. The Cosmopolitan serotype, typical of South-East Asia, has spread in America and occurs much faster in spreading, more aggressive and also more deadly.It is spreading unfortunately also in Europe with autochthonous cases in southern France. We must be careful”.
The risk of outbreaks affects all populations in areas where mosquito vectors of the virus are present. Europe and in particular the countries of the Mediterranean basindue to climate change, increased heat, humidity, along with increased global trade and tourism, could be at risk for the onset of dengue epidemics.