A mosquito-borne disease is spreading as the planet warms
Dengue fever must be curbed
Unlike her stealthy, malaria-spreading cousin, the female Aedes aegypti signals her approach with an exasperating drone. Her bite is far worse than her buzz. If she carries a flavivirus pathogen, her victim can be infected with dengue fever. Most infections pass without symptoms, but an unfortunate few are racked with “breakbone fever”, which causes severe joint pain, haemorrhage and, occasionally, death. The after-effects, which are poorly understood, include fatigue and cognitive impairment. Aedes is so plentiful that the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reckons 100m people around the world fall sick with dengue every year.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Dengue rising”
From the April 27th 2024 edition
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