"With temperatures and rainfall increasing, the mosquitoes that carry dengue viruses are extending their range. More than 4.5 million cases have been reported this year, and global climate models project an additional 2 billion people could be at risk of infection by 2080."
"The monsoon season in Bangladesh typically runs from May to September, with rainfall peaking in July and sputtering out in early October. This year, however, there was more rain than usual in October and even some showers in normally dry November. The extra rain, along with overall warmer temperatures, contributed to a surge in cases of dengue fever, prolonging the country’s largest and deadliest recorded outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.
According to data from Bangladesh’s ministry of health, 1,570 people have died and more than 300,000 have been infected as of November 22. That’s three times the number of infections recorded in the country’s largest previous outbreak, in 2019.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The disease is sometimes called “breakbone fever” for the aches and pains it can produce. While most cases of dengue are relatively mild, and symptoms can be treated, some patients develop dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal."
Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar reports for Yale Environment 360 November 30, 2023.
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