Dr. Raman Flaidhan, the official at the Global Program for Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization, stated that nearly half of the world's population is at risk of contracting dengue fever transmitted by mosquitoes, with an estimated 100-400 million cases occurring each year.

Flaidhan added during a press conference today, Friday, that the Americas reported 2.8 million cases and 1,280 deaths in 2022, noting the continuation of this increasing trend in 2023, with nearly 3 million cases already reported.

He pointed out that the spread of cases in the south (Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru) is an increasing concern, and he continued that it is relatively early to obtain reports from Asia, although the trends are worrying as Asia typically accounts for about 70% of the global disease burden.

Regarding the Americas, Flaidhan noted that nearly 3 million cases of dengue fever have been reported from the first epidemiological week until the first of July, including 1,302 deaths.

The WHO official mentioned that most dengue fever patients will not show symptoms, but the most common symptoms are fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.