Today, when we talk about a pandemic, we inevitably think of the coronavirus. But Covid-19 is not the only dangerous epidemic for humans.
Dengue fever, also known as tropical flu, is a viral disease transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes. In its symptoms, it is very similar to the coronavirus. If the majority of people affected by dengue fever do not show symptoms, the most serious cases can indeed cause respiratory disorders, high fevers, severe headaches but also joint pain but also bleeding, respiratory distress. and energy losses.
If we talk about it today, it is because this epidemic is spreading more and more across Southeast Asia. It develops especially in hot areas where many mosquitoes appear. This disease, for which no vaccine has yet been found, kills thousands of people every year and infects hundreds of millions. Many countries, which focus their medical resources on the coronavirus, should not therefore neglect it.
Dengue also develops in Africa and in the countries located in the south of the United States but 70% of its presence is in Asia. In 1970, nine countries experienced major dengue epidemics. Since massive urbanization, the explosion in the number of trips and global warming, the disease has spread and become endemic in 128 countries. Last year, WHO identified it as one of the top ten threats to public health.
The chances of seeing dengue land in Europe and, in particular in Belgium, is very very low. The disease had been eradicated from the Old Continent in the 1950s. The few cases diagnosed were all imported cases.
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