Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
The World Health Organization has announced a global plan to battle dengue fever and other mosquito-related diseases.
Due to climate change, mosquitoes are spreading to new regions, increasing the danger of these diseases.
“The rapid spread of dengue and other diseases in recent years is an alarming trend,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “[It] demands a coordinated response across sectors and borders”.
The UN health agency said that the number of reported dengue cases has doubled yearly since 2021. More than 7,900 deaths were reported in just the first eight months of 2024. The WHO estimates that there are between 100 million and 400 million infections yearly.
Dengue can cause high fever and body aches, but most people have no symptoms. The disease is caused by a virus carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, whose territory has spread as the planet warms.
Answer: climate change
