By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In the Western hemisphere, the number of dengue cases reported through August is 2,384,029 cases and 949 deaths.

Colombia map
Image/Alvaro1984 18

The number of cases reported in 2019 as August 31 is higher than the annual totals reported in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and the total by the end of the year will likely exceed the total reported in the epidemic year of 2015.

In Colombia, 84,664 cases of dengue and 919 cases of severe dengue have been reported to date.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) indicated that Colombia has the second highest incidence in this new cycle of the epidemic. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the country’s geographical conditions, and the natural cycle of the disease have generated an increase in dengue cases since the final quarter of 2018.

In addition, 169 deaths have been recorded.

Dengue virus strains circulating in Colombia include DEN-1, 2 and 3.

Colombia is in a state of alert with higher than expected cases in the departments of Meta (Villavicencio), Huila (Neiva), Cucuta (Norte de Santander), Casanare (Yopal), Tolima (Ibagué) and Santander (Bucaramanga).