Africa: WHO Launches Global Strategic Plan to Fight Rising Dengue and Other Aedes-Borne Arboviral Diseases

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan (SPRP) to tackle dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses. The Plan aims at reducing the burden of disease, suffering and deaths from dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviral diseases such as Zika and chikungunya, by fostering a global coordinated response.

The Plan outlines priority actions to control transmission and offers recommendations to affected countries across various sectors, including disease surveillance, laboratory activities, vector control, community engagement, clinical management, and research and development, through a whole-of-society and regional approach.

An estimated four billion people are at risk of infection from arboviruses around the world, and this number is estimated to increase to 5 billion by 2050. Dengue cases have surged across all six WHO regions, and the number of cases has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases as of the end of August this year – almost double the 6.5 million cases reported in all of 2023.

Dengue is endemic in tropical and subtropical climates, particularly in South-East Asia, the Western Pacific and the Americas. The situation is equally concerning in Africa, where countries are battling multiple diseases amid conflict and natural disasters, placing additional strain on already fragile health systems. In December 2023, WHO graded the current global dengue upsurge as grade 3, the highest level of emergency for WHO, to support countries to strengthen their surveillance capacities and implement response activities.

“The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “From maintaining clean environments to supporting vector control and seeking and providing timely medical care, everyone has a role to play in the fight against dengue. This plan is a roadmap to turn the tide against this disease and other Aedes-borne arboviral diseases, protect vulnerable populations and pave the way for a healthier future.”

Factors such as unplanned urbanization and poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices, climate change and international travel, are facilitating the rapid geographical spread of dengue. The disease is now endemic in more than 130 countries. Similar trends are also observed for other arboviral diseases, such as Zika, chikungunya and more recently the Oropouche virus disease, especially in the Americas. This global escalation underscores the urgent need for a robust strategy to mitigate risks and safeguard populations.

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The SPRP comprises five key components essential for a successful outbreak response:

Emergency coordination: Establishing leadership and coordination activities; Collaborative surveillance: Developing and using tools for early detection and control of dengue and other Aedes-borne outbreaks, including strengthened indicator and event-based surveillance, epidemiological analysis, laboratory diagnostics, and field investigations; Community protection: Engaging communities through active dialogue and local adaptation of prevention and response measures, including mosquito population control; Safe and scalable care: Ensuring effective clinical management and resilient health services to ensure patients can receive adequate care and prevent illness and death; and Access to countermeasures: Promoting research and innovation for improved treatments and effective vaccines against these diseases.

The Plan will be implemented over one year until September 2025, and requires US$ 55 million to support health preparedness, readiness and response efforts. It is aligned with the Global Vector Control Response 2017-2030, a global strategy to strengthen vector control worldwide, and the Global Arbovirus Initiative, launched in 2022, which focuses on tackling mosquito-borne arboviruses with epidemic potential.

The SPRP is a call to action for all stakeholders – from government agencies and health-care providers to communities and individuals – to join forces in the fight against dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses, through innovation, new technologies and improved vector control strategies.

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