WHO Warns of Dengue Spread Within US, Europe, Africa

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Facts

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the southern US, southern Europe, and new parts of Africa could face a major threat from dengue fever over the rest of this decade. Jeremy Farrar, a WHO infectious diseases specialist, has suggested that dengue fever could 'take off' in these regions.¹
• Dengue causes approximately 20K deaths per year, mostly in Asia and Latin America.¹
• Dengue, which is a virus spread through the bites of infected female mosquitos, is also known as 'breakbone fever' because it can cause extreme pain.²
• Cases in the US traditionally occur when travelers contract the illness in countries where the disease is widespread, but travelers can also bring the virus to the local mosquito population. These included documented cases in Florida in August.³
• This month in Bangladesh — where dengue is endemic — more than 1K people have died in the worst recorded outbreak, with many cases occurring outside of dense urban areas for the first time.⁴
• In late September, a dengue outbreak swept Jamaica, leading to 565 cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that up to 400M people are infected with dengue annually worldwide with 100M becoming ill and 40K dying.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Forbes, ³USA Today, ⁴CNN and ⁵FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Bulletin of the atomic scientists. While deniers of global warming continue to hinder progress in battling climate change impacts, a warming world is now making it easier for mosquitoes to spread another dangerous virus to a wider array of victims. It's vital to address the full scope of the climate emergency ranging from wildfires to storms to floods — and even new infectious disease threats.
• Narrative B, as provided by Wattsupwiththat. Despite what climate alarmists may say, there's hardly a link between dengue fever and climate change. Numerous studies have shown that there has been no temperature rise in the areas where dengue is most widespread, and the disease hasn't changed or spread in any novel way since it was discovered centuries ago. Climate change can't be the common denominator of everything — including dengue fever.