Jakarta, IO – Dengue is endemic in >100 countries in most of the world’s tropical and subtropical populated areas. Reported predominantly in Southeast Asia, the Americas, and the Western Pacific and less frequently in Africa and Eastern Mediterranean WHO regions: with dengue cases at 70% in Asia and 30% in other regions. Dengue deaths are mainly related to DSS, severe organ involvement, and severe bleeding. Mostly occurs in dengue-endemic areas where multiple dengue serotypes co-circulate.
“Distribution of Aedes aegypty, the agent of dengue virus, reaches all around the world. Dengue virus cycle of extrinsic incubation the virus infects the midgut and eventually travels to the salivary glands (usually 8-10 days) or intrinsic incubation, the onset of symptoms usually takes 4-7 days, then proboscis human. Form mosquito infection – mosquito takes a blood meal from a person with acute dengue, and human infection that one mosquito can infect several humans,” stated Prof. Dr. dr. Erni Juwita Nelwan, Sp.PD, K-PTI, FACP, FINASIM, Ph.D, to media, last Wednesday (17/1/2024).
Dengue fever symptoms, like those of any other disease, are so often overlooked: eye pain, muscle pain, bone pain, joint pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, or rash. “But we have to watch out for dengue warning signs: a drop in body temperature with intense and continuous abdominal pain, drowsiness, dizziness, bleeding from gums or nose, blood in vomit, urine or stool, persistent vomiting, restlessness,” said the Head Division of Tropical and Infectious Diseases from Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia.
Temperature Range
Then she quoted the publication of the systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between dengue cases and climate variables, highlighting dengue transmission’s most vital variables. “According to the results, the precipitation, relative humidity, minimum temperature, and mean temperature are climate variables associated with dengue cases. Precipitation plays a vital role in mosquito survival at juvenile stages, while relative humidity prevents mosquito habitats and adult mosquitoes from drying out. The spiracle on the adult mosquito body is always wide open due to the absence of a regulatory mechanism, therefore in low humidity, the fluids in the body can evaporate and cause mosquito death.”
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The survival of mosquitoes and extrinsic incubation period of dengue virus has the optimum temperature range of 18 to 31 degrees Celsius. The temperature below or above the range may decrease mosquito survival and dengue transmission rates. On the other hand, the mean temperature has a minor effect on dengue transmission in tropical countries because they have relatively constant temperatures. “Basically, mosquito eggs are difficult to destroy. The fogging method only kills adult mosquitoes. So, the eggs must be removed by ensuring there is no place for them to hatch,” she concluded.
To achieve zero deaths from dengue by 2030, we must build capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to dengue outbreaks every time El Niño comes. Catch the dengue prevention strategy through environmental and individual-based actions, in this case get vaccination, also vector control and implement the 3MPlus program, namely draining, burying, and recycling containers that have the potential to become a place for mosquitoes to breed. (est)
