In Brazil, the number of dengue infections reached its peak in March of this year: over two million dengue cases, as the Tropical Institute reported. A public health emergency was declared in Peru in February due to a sharp increase in dengue cases. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases reported worldwide increased tenfold between 2000 and 2019, from 500,000 to 5.2 million. Dengue numbers will also have increased worldwide in 2023. The WHO classifies the risk worldwide as high in view of the increasing numbers. But what do you need to know about the disease and what is the situation in Germany? An overview:
The virus is typically recognized by three symptoms that occur at the same time: fever, rash and headache, limb or joint pain. In rare cases, internal bleeding and shock also occur.
With today’s healthcare system, most cases are easily treatable. This means that long-term consequences rarely occur. In 1.5 percent of infections, the disease becomes severe and can lead to death. However, with early detection, the death rate falls below one percent.
The safest protection against infection is reliable mosquito repellent. The virus is transmitted by yellow fever mosquitoes. Occasionally also from tiger mosquitoes. So if you prevent a mosquito bite by using mosquito repellent, you are also protecting yourself from dengue fever. You can also avoid still waters and wear a mosquito net.
A vaccination against dengue fever is recommended if you often travel to tropical areas, because the mosquitoes that transmit it are particularly active there. There are currently two approved vaccines against the virus in Europe, which since February 2023 you can have injected by your family doctor or a tropical medicine doctor, even while on vacation.
In Germany there have not yet been any registered cases that were proven to have been transmitted by a mosquito. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), around 600 cases in 2018 and over 1,000 cases in 2019 were imported infections, mostly from Southeast Asia.
In its current report on dengue fever cases in Germany, the RKI writes that there was a sharp increase in dengue cases in Germany at the beginning of 2024. This is due to the high number of cases in endemic areas, i.e. in parts of the tropics and subtropics where the fever is widespread. The US health authority CDC lists the risk areas for dengue fever worldwide. According to the CDC, France, Croatia and Madeira are at sporadic risk on the European continent. Means: There has been proven to be at least one locally acquired dengue case in the last ten years.
The Federal Foreign Office informs that travelers in Brazil and Peru should pay particular attention to good mosquito protection during the day and in the evening. “Mosquito repellents are available in the country, but not all of them in the necessary concentration. You should therefore bring them from Germany, at least to start with,” it says. In order to receive a vaccination, the Federal Foreign Office recommends individual medical advice before the trip, especially for longer stays.
Sources: CDC, Tropical Institute, Federal Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Foreign Office, RKI, Foreign Office 2, RKI 2, Tropical Institute 2
