Several African countries battling with dengue fever
Africa has suffered from yellow fever and other mosquito-borne viruses, most of which have killed thousands of people. Yet, a 2022 survey from WHO conducted in 47 African countries revealed wide gaps in arbovirus outbreak preparedness, surveillance, and control. Now the continent suffers from Dengue fever.
Burkina Faso recently announced that its central region, which includes the city of Ouagadougou, has recorded 217 cases of death linked to dengue disease since the start of 2023 and 55 deaths just during the week of November 6 to 12. As of November 19, Burkina has recorded 6829 probable cases of the dengue epidemic, local media Aouaga reported.
In August, Chad's health ministry declared an outbreak with 1,342 suspected cases, 41 confirmed in the laboratory, and one death recorded, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.
With dengue fever in Chad, the likelihood of countries including Niger, Mali, and Chad, recording dengue cases is high mainly because these countries all host suitable mosquito vectors and share the same tropical climate with seasonal heavy rains and floods.
Unlike some African countries, dengue fever is new to Chad. This then raises concerns about Chad’s preparedness and response capacities to the fever, WHO added.
According to reports from international media Reuters, the Sudanese doctors' union in September said 3,398 cases of dengue fever were recorded across al-Qadarif, Red Sea, North Kordofan, and Khartoum states between mid-April and mid-September in only.
Meanwhile, most of the hospitals in Sudan are out of service because of the current war crisis.
Ethiopia is also experiencing an outbreak of the dengue fever. As of 10 May 2023, it had recorded a total of 1,638 suspected and confirmed cases and nine associated deaths.
Sao Tome and Principe recorded a total of 1,210 cases and 11 deaths between April 15 and April 30, 2023, the Weekly Bulletin on Outbreaks and Other Emergencies by WHO reported.
According to the most recent report published by Africa CDC, dengue cases have been recorded in Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde Senegal, and Sudan.
The disease would become a major threat in new parts of Africa as warmer temperatures create the conditions for the mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread, the World Health Organization warned in October, Reuters reported.
Dengue fever is driven largely by climate change, the increased movement of people, and urbanization. It is primarily transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Aedes species mosquitoes. Humans are the main carriers of the virus and symptoms include fever, muscle pain, nausea, and rashes. If misdiagnosed or not treated early, it may lead to death.
