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When dengue fever enters from abroad, creating an environment that is “unsuitable” for vector mosquito activities will have the opportunity to gain an advantage in the prevention and control of dengue fever. Gathering the power of the community to remove the accumulated water and idle containers around the living environment is the simplest and most effective method, but it is also easier said than done, and it is difficult to implement absolutely. In addition to removing stagnant water containers and reducing breeding sources, there are indeed other means to help stop the spread of dengue fever virus.
Dengue fever occurs in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, and Taiwan is no exception. According to the “Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases”, dengue fever is listed as a second-class infectious disease in Taiwan. It is mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti (the main vector) and Aedes albopictus (the secondary vector). Infected patients may develop Fever, rash, even organ damage, severe bleeding and other symptoms.
This year (2023), the dengue fever epidemic in Taiwan is severe. As of the end of August, the cumulative number of cases has reached nearly 3,000. Central authorities and local governments have invested resources and manpower, including setting up screening stations and setting up emergency working groups, in order to reduce the impact and loss caused by dengue fever.
Generally speaking, the prevention and control methods taught by health education are nothing more than following the mantra of “patrol, pour, clean, and brush” to prevent in advance, and try to eliminate the environment where vector mosquitoes may breed. However, in addition to prevention, understanding the characteristics of dengue fever and other potential prevention methods can also lead to a more comprehensive understanding of this disease. In order to further understand the context of dengue fever and the changes in the epidemic situation, this time “Key Comment Network” invited Associate Professor Zhuang Dingwu from the Department of Molecular Parasites and Tropical Diseases at Taipei Medical University to provide opinions on dengue fever from the perspective of experts and scholars.
In the past five years, the number of dengue fever cases in Taiwan has been below 1,000. Why is it particularly severe this year?
To understand the fluctuation of the dengue fever epidemic in Taiwan, one can start by understanding the source of the dengue virus. Zhuang Dingwu said that the dengue fever epidemic in Taiwan is driven by imported cases, which means that the virus is imported from other countries every year. During international travel, people brought the virus into Taiwan from other tropical regions. If the climate and environment were suitable for the breeding of vector mosquito populations, it would have the opportunity to accelerate the spread of the virus, resulting in the emergence of local cases and further expanding the dengue fever epidemic.
Since the 1990s, when more accurate dengue fever case data were available in Taiwan, more or less dengue fever cases have been recorded every year. According to historical data, there are generally hundreds to 1,2000 cases per year, but the cases in a few years are particularly high. For example, the number of dengue fever cases in Kaohsiung reached more than 5,000 in 2002, and there were nearly 60,000 cases in 2014-15. Both are years with severe dengue fever epidemics.
After the major epidemic in 2014-15, Taiwan stepped up efforts to prevent and control dengue fever, and also learned from the experience of this epidemic prevention, and a large number of infected people at that time had established a certain degree of herd immunity. Cases of dengue fever have dropped dramatically. Original experts predicted that due to the decline in the protection of herd immunity, the dengue fever epidemic may come back in 4 or 5 years. Countries closed their doors, and without international exchanges, the dengue virus was also blocked.
This year, the COVID-19 epidemic has come to an end, international exchanges have resumed, and people’s herd immunity to dengue virus has gradually declined. In addition, climate change has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme events. reached a six-year high.
Image Source:Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Disease Control and Infectious Disease Statistics Inquiry System Website
Figure 1 | The comparative trend of domestic and overseas confirmed cases in Taiwan in the past six years. (Image Source:Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Disease Control and Infectious Disease Statistics Inquiry System Website）
Are there other effective ways to prevent dengue besides clearing the water-logged containers?
2023-09-02 23:59:24
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