[News Terms] Americas Struggling with Swarms of Mosquitoes... Dengue Fever Threatening Children

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Americas regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), announced on the 10th (local time) that "there have been approximately 12.6 million reported cases of dengue fever infections across the Americas this year." This is the highest number since related statistics began in 1980. The previous record was 4,569,464 cases last year. The death toll has reached about 7,700. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico have suffered significant impacts. These four countries account for nearly 90% of all infections. Dengue fever poses an especially greater threat to children. Health authorities have pointed to abnormal high temperatures, unplanned urbanization, droughts and floods related to climate change, and the neglect of water puddles around residential areas as the background factors for the surge in dengue fever cases.

Dengue fever is an acute febrile viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It spreads when a mosquito carrying the dengue virus bites a person. These mosquitoes are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. Although it is not a disease found in Korea, about 30 cases are reported annually from people who have traveled to endemic areas and then developed the illness.

Once infected with the virus, a sudden high fever occurs. The fever lasts for 3 to 5 days, accompanied by severe headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, and loss of appetite. Sometimes, red spots appear all over the body in the early stages. As the fever subsides, skin rashes continue for 1 to 5 days over the entire body. Initially, small rash-like spots appear temporarily on the face, neck, and chest, then on the 3rd or 4th day, the rash starts on the chest and torso and spreads to the limbs and face.

Severe forms of dengue fever include dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Patients may appear to improve temporarily as the fever drops but then rapidly deteriorate. They experience extreme weakness or anxiety, cold sweats, and sometimes bluish discoloration around the mouth. If dengue shock syndrome continues, bleeding occurs in the intestines, resulting in bloody stools. In such cases, the disease progression and treatment outcomes are poor, with a mortality rate reaching 40 to 50%.

If you have traveled to a dengue-endemic area, symptoms such as skin rash and fever may raise suspicion of dengue fever. Within 5 days of onset during the acute phase, diagnosis can be made by blood tests detecting antibodies or dengue virus nucleic acid (RNA). Antibody detection in serum is possible after 6 days. There is no specific treatment to kill or suppress the dengue virus. Symptomatic treatment to relieve symptoms is possible. Typical dengue fever usually resolves on its own within about a week without leaving special sequelae. However, if bleeding occurs in the body, there is a risk of death. Dengue hemorrhagic fever causes a drop in blood pressure and impaired function of other organs, which can lead to death.