The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned this Thursday that this is expected to be worst dengue season in the history of the American continent, a situation that arose largely due to global temperature rise and extreme weather events.

“Last year there were 4.5 million cases and This year we already have 3.5 million.“This is therefore likely the worst dengue season in the Americas, and that is why it is critical that countries experiencing increased transmission redouble their efforts to prevent the spread,” said PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa.

At a virtual press conference, Barbosa presented the latest data on the disease and said that as of March 16, more than 3.5 million cases of dengue fever have been reported in the Americas and more than a thousand deaths.

“This is a cause for concern because it represents 3 times more cases than registered on the same date in 2023.This is a record year with more than 4.5 million cases reported in the region,” he said.

The rise in incidence is occurring “in all countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,” although three countries in the Southern Cone are of greatest concern: Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. They account for 92 percent of all and 87 percent of deaths.

And dengue –which is transmitted through a mosquito bite“It’s seasonal,” and now in this region the first months of the year correspond to the warmest and wettest seasons, he explained.

Although other countries in the region, which typically experience high levels of transmission in the second half of the year, are also experiencing increase in cases including Barbados, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Martinique and Mexico.

“We also detect the presence mosquito in geographic areas where it has not previously been observed transmission is endemic, meaning some countries may not be prepared to cope with increased transmission,” he warned.