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Dengue is a serious and potentially fatal disease transmitted through the bite of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti. Due to climatic and socioeconomic conditions, Latin America and the Caribbean are particularly prone to its spread. Of the entire region, Brazil leads the ranking of countries, with more than ** million cases reported from 1980 to March 2024. Mexico follows, although at a great distance, with nearly *** million.

Beyond dengue

In addition to dengue, diseases such as zika, malaria, and chikungunya have also emerged in the Latin American territory. Some of the reasons behind the spread of these diseases are attributed to factors such as climate change, high population density, socioeconomic inequality, and limited access to water. However, this epidemic does not impact the entire population equally, as lower-income areas are the most vulnerable due to the higher concentration of stagnant water that favors the proliferation of mosquitoes carrying various conditions.

Are vaccines enough?

This spread of tropical diseases along with the urgency to stop them has led to a steady growth in the global market for tests and vaccines against dengue. Among the different variants are live attenuated, inactivated, DNA, and subunit vaccines. Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV), currently available on the market, contains attenuated viruses of the four dengue serotypes, generating an immune response without causing the disease. However, it is recommended exclusively for people previously infected. Given this, as well as the lack of vaccines for diseases such as Zika or chikungunya, mosquito control and the elimination of breeding sites remain essential to prevent the transmission of diseases of this type.