The Health Protection Agency, Ministry of Health, Maldives is reporting a 200 percent increase in dengue fever cases thus far in 2019 compared to the same period last year.
Official data shows 1,912 cases of dengue were reported by the end of last month. This compares with 539 cases reported during the same period in 2018.
The HPA also noted an increase in chikungunya with 839 cases reported between January and April.
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.
- Romania measles update: More than 1000 cases in 2019
- Nipah virus person to person spread: Johns Hopkins study
- Neglected tropical diseases: Researchers highlight expanded benefits and impact of preventive chemotherapy
- Pakistan reports three more polio cases, Inactivated polio vaccine now introduced worldwide
- Temple mumps outbreak at 162 as semester closes, Hidalgo County cases up to 39
- Thailand: Syphilis in young people rising at ‘alarming rate’, Dengue deaths
One thought on “Maldives dengue cases up 200 percent in 2019”