WASHINGTON (CMC) – In a new epidemiological alert, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has reiterated its call to countries in the Americas, including in the Caribbean, to intensify efforts and actions to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main vector that transmits dengue fever.

The call comes in response to a significant increase in the number of reported cases among several countries during the first weeks of 2024.

According to the PAHO alert, the Americas experienced the highest number of recorded dengue cases in 2023, with a total of 4,565,911 cases and 2,340 deaths.

PAHO said this high transmission has persisted in 2024, with 673,267 cases (almost 85 percent in the Southern Cone) and 102 deaths reported as of early February.

PAHO said the figures represent a 157 percent increase over the same period last year and a 225 percent increase over the five-year average.

During the first five weeks of 2024, PAHO said 11 countries and territories, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru, reported an increase in dengue cases. The organisation continues to urge countries to “maintain and strengthen surveillance, early diagnosis, and timely treatment for dengue cases.”

It also calls for measures to be taken “to organise healthcare networks to facilitate access and management of patients, with the aim of preventing complications and deaths.”

In addition, PAHO calls for “intensified communication campaigns to encourage community participation in reducing mosquito breeding sites and the timely seeking of medical care.”