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WHO launches global strategic plan to combat dengue and Aedes-borne arboviruses

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In a bid to counter surging dengue and other threats from Aedes-borne arboviruses, including Zika and chikungunya, which are now emerging rapidly globally, the World Health Organization has adopted the Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan, or SPRP, to minimize the diseases, according to concerted international efforts involving governments, healthcare providers, and communities.

WHO launches global strategic plan to combat dengue and Aedes-borne arboviruses

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The move by the WHO will be most critical at a time when arboviral diseases are spreading rapidly throughout the world. Currently, four billion people are at risk of infection, which will be upped to five billion by 2050. Meanwhile, as of August 2024, more than 12.3 million cases of dengue were reported worldwide compared with the 6.5 million cases in all of 2023. The six WHO regions have been witnessing an increase in cases of dengue due to unplanned urbanization, lack of sanitation, climate changes, and international travel.

Although now endemic in more than 130 countries, prevalence is still highest in South-East Asia, the Western Pacific, and the Americas. Africa is equally alarming, where broken health systems are unable to contain myriad disease outbreaks amidst conflicts and natural catastrophes.

In December 2023, the organization declared the global dengue upsurge as Grade 3 emergency – the highest level of emergency classification of emergencies – in order to offer support to countries in strengthening their surveillance systems and measures for an effective response.
“It is time to take seriously this growing threat posed by dengue and other Aedes-borne diseases,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference.

“The rapid spread of dengue and other arboviral diseases in recent years is an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders,” he said. Dr. Ghebreyesus further pointed out the significance of community engagement with efforts to combat these diseases, adding, “From keeping clean environments, to vector control support and search for and provision of timely care, everyone has a role in fighting dengue.”.

This plan will, therefore, become the road map to reverse the trend of this disease and other Aedes-borne arboviral diseases, protect susceptible populations, and pave the way to a healthier future.

A Growing Global Health Threat

Most often, dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses, such as Zika, chikungunya, and recently recognized Oropouche virus, which is first detected in Brazil, have been spread mainly by bites from Aedes mosquitoes. These diseases have spread geographically much faster during the last decade due to climate change, rapid urbanization, and travel worldwide. Arboviral diseases have become more prominent in the Americas, and even greater stress should be placed on a stronger vector control strategy combined with robust international collaboration.

An increase in cases and spread of these diseases across all regions of the globe has brought to the fore a critical need for a holistic response strategy. The WHO’s SPRP sets down core actions required to control the transmission of Aedes-borne viruses and also provides direction for affected countries.

Main Elements of the SPRP

The WHO’s SPRP strategy has been anchored on five core elements necessary to an outbreak response. These are:

Emergency Coordination: Determination of leadership and coordination mechanisms to direct preparedness, response, and recovery at national and regional levels.

Collaboration in Surveillance: It seeks the early detection and control of dengue and other Aedes-borne outbreaks through the development and application of tools. This includes improving both indicator-based and event-based surveillance systems with a reinforcement in epidemiological analysis and laboratory diagnostics including field investigations.

Community Protection: Involving the local communities through proper dialogue and consultation to enhance prevention and control of the mosquito populations in their areas. These include creating an awareness within the communities of steps necessary to reduce the risk of dengue through better sanitation and removal of sites that attract a mosquito, such as standing water, as well as use of repellents and protective clothing.

Safe and Scalable Care: All health systems should be well-prepared to support effective clinical management of dengue as well as other arboviral diseases. This should also mean that healthcare facilities are prepared to address large-scale outbreaks and could provide the right care for patients to minimize illness and death.

Provide Access to Countermeasures Promote scientific research and innovation toward better treatment and effective vaccines for these diseases. This Plan recognizes that investment in new technologies and countermeasures needs to be sustained to prevent and control the spread of dengue and other arboviruses.

A Global Call to Action

The SPRP will be implemented for one year, up to September 2025 at an estimated budget of US$ 55 million. The Plan is aligned with the Global Vector Control Response 2017-2030 for wide-ranging vector control across the world. The SPRP also supports the Global Arbovirus Initiative launched in 2022, targeting specifically mosquito-borne arboviruses with epidemic potential.

The WHO calls for all stakeholders within and outside these various levels-particularly governments, health systems, research organizations, communities, and individuals-to work together toward the eventual success of stopping dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
Improved and much-needed innovative technologies, such as better diagnostic tests and more effective vaccines, are advocated together with sustainable vector control strategies that protect even more vulnerable populations.

The Way Forward

Another critical step forward in trying to contain these public health threats is launching the WHO’s Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan, as dengue and other Aedes-borne diseases are spreading at an alarming rate. Hopefully, this will reduce the burden of these diseases, protecting millions of lives through coordinated action around the globe.

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