After reporting approximately 140,000 dengue fever cases and some 140 fatalities in 2015, experts are predicting a spike in cases for the current year.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

According to a Reuters report, Dr. Usa Thisyakorn, professor of pediatrics at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and chairwoman of Asian Dengue Vaccination Advocacy (ADVA) said, “We have had a lot of patients in this season. It’s a big predictor that we’ll have a big problem with dengue this year. If even in the cool season we have dengue, then it will be worse in the following year”.

Thailand has reported nearly 600 dengue cases from 53 provinces in less than two weeks.

Thailand is currently hosting Asia Dengue Summit and Sanofi Pasteur’s new dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, is the main topic. The vaccine has been approved by the governments of Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil to date.

In the past 50 years, the incidence of dengue worldwide has increased 30-fold, largely as a consequence of the growth of cities and increased travel.

According to a 2013 WHO report between 1955 and 1959, the number of countries reporting cases of dengue increased from three to eight; in 2012, the geographical distribution of dengue included more than 125 countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However,there was 2013 research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.

In fact  dengue fever has been given the dubious honor of being ranked as the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, with an epidemic potential in the world.

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