Dengue: An Emerging Global Crisis - Research and Expert Insights

Reach out to us with any recent research contributions related to Dengue Disease at [email protected].

Calling All Experts and Researchers: Share Your Insights on Dengue, Prevention, Detection, and Vaccines. 

Newswise — Dengue, or break-bone fever, is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes, predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions. Its global impact has surged, with cases escalating from 505,430 in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. In 2023, the record reached over 4.1 million cases.

The Dengue virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female mosquitoes, with the Aedes aegypti mosquito being the main vector. Other species within the Aedes genus can also transmit the virus. These mosquitoes breed in stagnant water sources such as flower pots, old tires, and water storage containers, making mosquito control measures crucial in preventing the spread of the disease.

Global dengue cases are nearing last year's record high, with over four million cases. The Americas region, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, is struggling to contain high transmission levels. Factors such as unplanned urbanization, heavier rainfall, warmer temperatures, and the El Nino effect create ideal conditions for the mosquito to develop. Brazil alone accounts for nearly 3.5 million cases, with the Southern Cone region being the hardest hit.

Despite the urgent need, challenges remain in vaccine distribution and availability. Brazil recently became the first country to deploy a newly approved vaccine called Qdenga. This vaccine, approved for adults and children over four years old, contains weakened versions of all four dengue serotypes.

However, production constraints limit availability, with only six million doses produced—enough for three million individuals requiring two doses each. Brazil is prioritizing distribution to children aged 10 to 14 in high-transmission areas with previous dengue exposure, a fraction of the country's population.

Urgent prevention measures are crucial, including mosquito control and seeking medical attention for symptoms. We invite experts and researchers to contribute their insights on dengue vaccination and cure to combat this growing global health threat.

Reporters looking for Dengue research experts can access embargoed news with a Newswise Press Pass and request an expert through the Expert Query form.

Dengue: Mayo Clinic expert explains mosquito-borne infection

Mayo Clinic 

27-Feb-2024

Approximately half of the world's population lives in areas vulnerable to dengue, a potentially deadly viral infection transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment, and only individuals who have already had dengue are eligible for the vaccine.

Cases of chikungunya and zika fall in Brazil, but most risk clusters exhibit an upward trend

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

18-Jan-2024

Analysis of occurrence and co-occurrence patterns shows the highest-risk clusters of chikungunya and zika in Brazil spreading from the Northeast to the Center-West and coastal areas of São Paulo state and Rio de Janeiro state in the Southeast between 2018 and 2021, and increasing again in the Northeast between 2019 and 2021.

Broad-spectrum antiviral candidate targets dengue and SARS-CoV-2

Hokkaido University

20-Oct-2023

A broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate, 2-thiouridine, that targets positive-strand RNA viruses has been identified and characterised.

Success of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in fighting dengue may be underestimated

University of Notre Dame

17-Jul-2023

The fight against dengue fever has a new weapon: a mosquito infected with the bacteria Wolbachia, which prevents the spread of the virus. These mosquitoes have now been deployed in several trials demonstrating their potential in preventing disease transmission.

Prior dengue infection may make Zika virus outcomes worse Infection During Pregnancy, Mount Sinai Study Shows

Mount Sinai Health System 

20-Jun-2023

Researchers in New York and Texas have identified that female marmosets are more likely to transmit the Zika virus during pregnancy if they have been previously infected by a different virus, dengue.

Expert Profiles 

Alessandro Sette

Professor

Expertise: Immunology

Dr. Alessandro Sette has devoted more than 35 years of study towards understanding the immune response, measuring immune activity, and developing disease intervention strategies against cancer, autoimmunity, allergy, and infectious diseases. The laboratory is defining in chemical terms the specific structures (epitopes) that the immune system recognizes, and uses this knowledge to measure and understand immune responses.

Mobeen Rathore 

Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology

Expertise: Infectious DiseaseChildren CareInvestigational TreatmentsPediatricianImmunologyPediatric Care

Mobeen Rathore, MD, is chief of infectious diseases for UF Health Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's Hospital, and Professor and Associate Chair for the UF College of Medicine, Jacksonville. He is the Founding Director of UF Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Service. Dr. Rathore has served on the board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital and UF Jacksonville practice plan. Dr. Rathore is an infectious disease specialist in Jacksonville, FL, and has been practicing for 29 years.

Daniel Pavuk

Professor of Biological Sciences

Expertise: EntomologyEcologyCicadasMosquitoInsectsBiodiversity

Dr. Daniel Pavuk's is a teaching professor of Biological Sciences at Bowling Green State University. His research interests are in insect biodiversity, parasitoid and predatory arthropod communities, conservation biological control, and ecology of insect vectors of pathogens. The ecology of insect parasitoids and predatory arthropods, and how these organisms structure phytophagous insect communities, are particularly interesting to Dr. Pavuk. His research emphasis has been primarily in agricultural ecosystems, including studies of population and community ecology of insects within those systems. Dr. Pavuk holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Mark Rupp

Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases

Expertise: Infectious DiseaseEpidemiologyInfection Control

Dr. Rupp is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is the Medical Director of The Nebraska Medical Center Department of Healthcare Epidemiology and co-Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Dr. Rupp received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

Larry L. Kociolek

Pediatric Infectious Disease Physician, Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control

Expertise: Kawasaki DiseaseInfectionsImmuno-CompromisedAntibiotic-Resistant BacteriaHealthcare EpidemiologyBacterial GenomicMicrobiologyEpidemiologyBacteriologyMolecular DiagnosticsPediatrics

Larry K. Kociolek, MD is an Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases; Associate Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control; Irene Heinz Given and John La Porte Given Professorship in Pediatrics and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. With interest in the areas of healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention and control, particularly Clostridium difficile infections, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, infections in immunocompromised children, Kawasaki Disease. Other areas of investigation include the use of whole-genome sequencing to assess antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence factors of emerging strains of C. difficile, namely DH/NAP11/106, as well as identifying transmission and evolution of C. difficile clones in a pediatric population.