A whopping USD 55 million will be needed to implement the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan (SPRP) over the next year to combat the rising threat of dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses, now affecting at least 130 countries. This plan aims to reduce the burden of disease, suffering, and deaths associated with these viruses, including Zika and chikungunya, by fostering a coordinated global response. Every year there are more than 700,000 deaths from diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Rift Valley fever, West Nile fever, Japanese encephalitis, and Zika which affect millions of people worldwide.
An estimated four billion people are at risk of arbovirus infections, a figure projected to rise to five billion by 2050. Dengue cases have surged across all six WHO regions, with the number of reported cases nearly doubling each year since 2021. As of the end of August this year, there have been over 12.3 million dengue cases—almost double the 6.5 million cases recorded for all of 2023, as per the WHO statement.
The plan outlines priority actions to control transmission and offers recommendations to affected countries across various sectors, including disease surveillance, laboratory activities, vector control, community engagement, clinical management, and research and development, through a whole-of-society and regional approach.
Dengue is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, and the Americas. The situation is also critical in Africa, where countries face multiple health challenges amid conflict and natural disasters, straining already fragile health systems.
In December 2023, the WHO classified the current global dengue upsurge as a grade 3 emergency—the highest level of alert. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated, “From maintaining clean environments to supporting vector control and seeking timely medical care, everyone has a role to play in the fight against dengue. This plan is a roadmap to turn the tide against this disease, protect vulnerable populations, and pave the way for a healthier future.”
Welcoming the WHO’s GSRP plan, scientist Dr. Kavita Singh, the South Asia Director at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), emphasised the profound impact of climate change on disease patterns, particularly for dengue and other vector-borne illnesses.
She expressed concern that the incidence of these diseases is rising globally, with new countries increasingly becoming hosts to these pathogens, which were once confined to specific regions. This shift is straining health systems, often ill-equipped to handle the surge in cases. Dr. Singh underscored the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to address the immediate threats posed by these diseases and the underlying factors that facilitate their spread, including the escalating effects of climate change.
Key factors driving the rapid spread of dengue include unplanned urbanization, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene practices, climate change, and increased international travel, said the WHO.
