SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) 鈥� is sweeping across the Caribbean and the Americas, with a record 12.6 million suspected cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus reported this year, nearly triple the number from last year, health officials said Tuesday.
globally as warmer weather brought on by enables mosquitoes to expand their reach.
The Pan American Health Organization 鈥攖he regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas 鈥� said deaths from dengue are also rising.
More than 7,700 deaths have been reported in the Caribbean and the Americas so far in 2024, a more than 200% increase, compared to 2,467 deaths in 2023, according to the organization.
The number of cases in the region, which includes the United States, is the highest reported since record keeping began in 1980, PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa said at a news conference.
鈥淭his is linked directly to climatic events,鈥� he said, referencing warmer temperatures, droughts and flooding. A fast population growth, unplanned urbanization and poor sanitation have contributed to the rise in dengue.
The virus has surged worldwide since last year and spread to areas previously free of dengue, according to PAHO.
with more than 10 million, followed by , and Mexico with more than half a million.
In the , followed by French Guiana, the Dominican Republic and Martinique.
Meanwhile, local dengue transmission has been reported in California, Florida and Texas this year, according to the .
There are four types of dengue virus, simply known as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Having one type of virus doesn't provide immunity from others.
For the first time in a decade, dengue serotype 3 has predominated in Mexico, Central America and parts of the Caribbean in the second half of the year, according to Thais dos Santos, PAHO鈥檚 advisor on arboviral diseases.
Many infected people don鈥檛 get sick, but some experience headache, fever and flu-like symptoms. Severe cases can cause serious bleeding, shock and death. Repeated infections can be especially dangerous.
Dengue cases usually surge during the wet season, but , with officials warning last month that it cannot be controlled unless residents cooperate. The U.S. territory has reported more than 4,900 cases and at least nine deaths so far this year. Victims include a 17-year-old girl and a 31-year-old woman.
The cases in Puerto Rico nearly quadrupled from last year, according to government data.
Lydia Plat贸n, a 55-year-old English professor at the University of Puerto Rico, got dengue in October. 鈥淵ou have fever all the time. You have horrible chills,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel that my energy has returned yet.鈥�
Her neighborhood reported five cases in six weeks, which she blames on heavy rains at the time and stagnant and accumulated water. One of the cases was her 17-year-old daughter. Plat贸n said she now lights incense and sprays herself with repellant every afternoon.
Puerto Rico officials are urging people to get rid of stagnant water where mosquitoes lay eggs. The government in Trinidad and Tobago has started issuing fines to people whose properties have become breeding sites for mosquitoes.
This year, more than one-third of cases in Costa Rica, Mexico and Paraguay have been reported in children younger than 15, with Guatemala reporting a high number of child deaths, Barbosa said.
have been introduced in , with Honduras slated to receive them next year, but they鈥檙e meant mostly for children and are most effective in those already infected with dengue once, dos Santos said.
She noted that supplies are limited and that vaccines are not expected to have a big impact on transmission. She stressed that preventive measures remain crucial.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 no mosquito, there鈥檚 no dengue,鈥� she said.
D谩nica Coto, The Associated Press
