The number of dengue fever cases in the Western hemisphere has eclipsed a half a million cases, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Public domain image/ E Pluribus Anthony
Through mid-April, 520,381 dengue fever cases and 2605 severe dengue cases have been reported.
165 dengue related fatalities have also been recorded.
Eighty-four percent of the dengue cases were reported in Brazil (>439K), followed by Colombia (26K), Nicaragua (more than 17K) and Mexico reporting more than 10,000 cases.
Dengue infects nearly 400 million people across more than 120 countries each year. Most survive with few or no symptoms, but more than two million annually develop what can be a dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever, which kills more than 25,000 people each year.
Dengue viruses are arboviruses (arthropod-borne virus) that are transmitted primarily to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.
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