A mid rising cases of dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses such as Zika and chikungunya, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday launched a global plan to reduce the burden of disease, suffering and deaths.
The
Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan (SPRP) looks to
foster a global coordinated response with actions to control transmission. It
also 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.
"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.
The
WHO said that an estimated four billion people are at risk of infection from
arboviruses around the world, and this number is estimated to increase to five
billion by 2050.
An
estimated four billion people globally are at risk for dengue, and the disease
is now endemic in more than 130 countries. The number of dengue 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.
In
December 2023, WHO graded the current global dengue upsurge 2023 as grade 3,
the highest level of emergency for the UN health body, to support countries to
strengthen their surveillance capacities and implement response activities.
Ghebreyesus
urged for "clean environments to support vector control and timely medical
care" to fight dengue.
He
called the SPRP plan "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 urbanisation and poor water, sanitation and hygiene
practices, climate change, and international travel, are facilitating the rapid
geographical spread of dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and more recently the
Oropouche virus disease, the WHO said.
The
SPRP comprises emergency coordination, collaborative surveillance, community
protection, safe and scalable care, and access to countermeasures. The Plan
will be implemented over one year until September 2025.
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