Millions Infected with Dengue as Temperature Rises
2023-12-26
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1The disease dengue is spreading across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980.
2Experts are warning that rising temperatures and growing cities are increasing the rate of infection.
3More than 4 million cases have been reported throughout the Americas and the Caribbean so far this year, breaking a record set in 2019.
4Officials from the Bahamas to Brazil are warning of crowded health centers and new infections daily.
5Reports say there have been more than 2,000 deaths across the wide area.
6Thais dos Santos is with the Pan American Health Organization, the area office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Americas.
7She said diseases like dengue, "provide us a really good sentinel of what is happening with climate change."
8A lack of good sanitation and strong health systems have added to the rise in cases.
9But experts say droughts and floods linked to climate change are causing greater spread of the virus.
10That is because stored water and heavy rains appeal to mosquitoes.
11Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey is chief of the dengue branch for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Puerto Rico.
12She noted that higher temperatures also are expanding the mosquito's habitat and helping the virus develop faster inside the mosquito.
13That leads to higher viral loads and a higher chance of transmission.
14This year's Northern Hemisphere summer was the hottest ever, with August about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial period averages.
15And Copernicus, the European climate service, reported that 2023 is the second hottest year on record.
16Worldwide, more than 4.5 million cases of dengue had been reported as of early November.
17There have been more than 4,000 deaths reported in 80 countries.
18Countries like Bangladesh are seeing a record number of cases and deaths.
19The government in the South Asian country has reported more than 313,700 cases and more than 1,600 deaths.
20Most of the deaths happened within three days of hospitalization.
21The mosquito that carries dengue also has been identified in 22 European countries, with local spread of the disease seen in France, Italy and Spain.
22In August, the central African country of Chad reported its first dengue outbreak in history.
23Dengue affects some 129 countries, with roughly half the world's population at risk, says the WHO.
24Infected female mosquitoes pass the virus when they feed on animals.
25The sickness can cause severe headaches, fever, vomiting, rash and other signs.
26While most infected people do not get symptoms, severe cases can lead to plasma leakage and death.
27What is worse, experts say, repeated infections means a higher risk of developing severe dengue.
28The Caribbean also is battling an increase in cases.
29The area had reported a 15 percent increase in confirmed cases by early October compared with the same period last year, says the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
30Officials on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique declared an epidemic in August that is still ongoing.
31Martinique is reporting an average of 800 cases a week on the island of some 394,000 people.
32Meanwhile, Jamaica and the Bahamas declared an outbreak in September followed by Barbados in October.
33Poor countries struggle the most with dengue.
34Bad sanitation creates a good reproduction environment for infected mosquitoes.
35Poor housing conditions leave people at greater risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Dengue outbreaks can crush already poor and overworked health systems.
36Jeremy Farra is chief scientist for the WHO.
37He said dengue is very difficult to treat partly because patients often delay in seeking medical care.
38The virus can progress so quickly, he said. Treating those with the disease requires very close patient supervision and a lot of time.
39Farra said, "Imagine that you have a thousand people like that requiring all that delicate clinical care. It can very quickly overwhelm a system."
40I'm Dan Novak.
1The disease dengue is spreading across the Western Hemisphere in numbers not seen since record-keeping began in 1980. Experts are warning that rising temperatures and growing cities are increasing the rate of infection. 2More than 4 million cases have been reported throughout the Americas and the Caribbean so far this year, breaking a record set in 2019. Officials from the Bahamas to Brazil are warning of crowded health centers and new infections daily. Reports say there have been more than 2,000 deaths across the wide area. 3Thais dos Santos is with the Pan American Health Organization, the area office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Americas. She said diseases like dengue, "provide us a really good sentinel of what is happening with climate change." 4A lack of good sanitation and strong health systems have added to the rise in cases. But experts say droughts and floods linked to climate change are causing greater spread of the virus. That is because stored water and heavy rains appeal to mosquitoes. 5Dr. Gabriela Paz-Bailey is chief of the dengue branch for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Puerto Rico. She noted that higher temperatures also are expanding the mosquito's habitat and helping the virus develop faster inside the mosquito. That leads to higher viral loads and a higher chance of transmission. 6This year's Northern Hemisphere summer was the hottest ever, with August about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial period averages. And Copernicus, the European climate service, reported that 2023 is the second hottest year on record. 7Worldwide, more than 4.5 million cases of dengue had been reported as of early November. There have been more than 4,000 deaths reported in 80 countries. 8Countries like Bangladesh are seeing a record number of cases and deaths. The government in the South Asian country has reported more than 313,700 cases and more than 1,600 deaths. Most of the deaths happened within three days of hospitalization. 9The mosquito that carries dengue also has been identified in 22 European countries, with local spread of the disease seen in France, Italy and Spain. In August, the central African country of Chad reported its first dengue outbreak in history. 10Dengue affects some 129 countries, with roughly half the world's population at risk, says the WHO. Infected female mosquitoes pass the virus when they feed on animals. The sickness can cause severe headaches, fever, vomiting, rash and other signs. While most infected people do not get symptoms, severe cases can lead to plasma leakage and death. 11What is worse, experts say, repeated infections means a higher risk of developing severe dengue. 12The Caribbean also is battling an increase in cases. The area had reported a 15 percent increase in confirmed cases by early October compared with the same period last year, says the Caribbean Public Health Agency. 13Officials on the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique declared an epidemic in August that is still ongoing. Martinique is reporting an average of 800 cases a week on the island of some 394,000 people. 14Meanwhile, Jamaica and the Bahamas declared an outbreak in September followed by Barbados in October. 15Poor countries struggle the most with dengue. Bad sanitation creates a good reproduction environment for infected mosquitoes. Poor housing conditions leave people at greater risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Dengue outbreaks can crush already poor and overworked health systems. 16Jeremy Farra is chief scientist for the WHO. He said dengue is very difficult to treat partly because patients often delay in seeking medical care. The virus can progress so quickly, he said. Treating those with the disease requires very close patient supervision and a lot of time. 17Farra said, "Imagine that you have a thousand people like that requiring all that delicate clinical care. It can very quickly overwhelm a system." 18I'm Dan Novak. 19Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting The Associated Press. 20________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22sentinel - n. sometimes used figuratively 23drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain 24pre-industrial - adj. relating to a time before industrialization 25plasma - n. the watery part of blood that contains blood cells 26delicate - adj. easily broken or damaged