DISEASE OUTBREAK NEWS: Dengue – the region of the Americas

Situation at a glance

Since the beginning of 2023, dengue outbreaks of significant magnitude have been recorded in the WHO Region of the Americas, with close to three million suspected and confirmed cases of dengue reported so far this year, surpassing the 2.8 million cases of dengue registered for the entire year of 2022. 

Of the total number of dengue cases reported until 1 July 2023 (2 997 097 cases), 45% were laboratory confirmed, and 0.13% were classified as severe dengue.

The highest number of dengue cases to date in 2023 are in Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia. Additionally, 1302 deaths were reported in the Region with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.04%, in the same period.

As part of the implementation of the Integrated Management Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Arboviral Diseases (IMS-Arbovirus), WHO is actively working with the Member States to strengthen healthcare and surveillance capacity.

WHO has assessed the risk of dengue as high at the regional level due to the wide spread distribution of the Aedes spp. mosquitoes (especially Aedes aegypti), the continued risk of severe disease and death, and the expansion out of historical areas of transmission, where all the population, including risk groups and healthcare workers, may not be aware of warning signs.

WHO does not recommend any travel and/or trade restrictions for countries in the Americas experiencing the current dengue epidemics based on the currently available information.

(WHO)