Dengue and chikungunya cases surge as climate change spreads arboviral diseases to new regions

Arboviral diseases are causing growing concern in the Americas as chikungunya and dengue fever spread to regions that have never seen them before.

The Americas has seen a surge in dengue cases in recent years and 2023 “is showing intense dengue transmission,” the World Health Organization said in a review of the epidemiological situation in the region.1

Last year 2.8 million dengue cases were reported in the Americas, more than twice the 1.2 million cases reported in 2021. Deaths from dengue reached 1290 in 2022, three times the number in 2021. Major cities in Argentina and Bolivia have published health alerts in recent months as unusually large outbreaks of the mosquito borne illness has added strain on local hospitals.23

A similar trend has been observed for chikungunya, for which 273 685 …