Millions of people in the Americas have been infected with dengue and more than 1000 have died in the first 3 months of 2024, tripling the number of dengue cases that occurred in 2023 during the same period, according to a by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Last year, more than 4.5 million cases of the mosquito-borne illness were reported in the region, which itself was a record. Still, the case fatality rate remained low, a trend that Jarbas Barbosa, MD, PhD, MS, the director of PAHO, called 鈥渧ery encouraging.鈥�
About 92% of reported cases and 87% of deaths so far this year have been in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. But more people are also contracting the virus in northern hemisphere countries, including Barbados, Costa Rica, and Mexico. These countries don鈥檛 typically see an uptick in cases until the second half of the year, when the weather is warmer, Barbosa noted.
Factors such as higher temperatures, extreme weather events, and rapid population growth might be creating more favorable conditions for dengue鈥檚 mosquito vectors to breed and spread the virus.
Published Online: April 26, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.6716