Dengue fever, a viral infection that 40 percent of humans are at risk of contracting worldwide, may be infecting 37 million people annually in India, according to a tropical disease expert.
While official
counts of the disease in India report 30,002 cases between January and October,
that number may be a major underestimate. Scott Halstead, a tropical disease
expert who focuses on dengue research, estimates a case count in the millions,
the New
York Times reports.
“I’d
conservatively estimate that there are 37 million dengue infections occurring
every year in India, and maybe 227,500 hospitalizations,” Halstead said,
according to the New
York Times.
The dengue problem in India is increasing at such a rapid
pace that it is estimated that nearly everyone born in the country will
contract dengue by adulthood.
“(For those who
arrive in India as adults) you have a reasonable expectation of getting dengue
after a few months,” Joseph M. Vinetz, a professor at the University of
California at San Diego, said, according to the New
York Times. “If you stay for
a longer period, it’s a certainty.”
As climate change raises temperature, experts are
concerned that the range of mosquitoes and the disease itself will expand.
There is no vaccine for dengue and attempts to create one
have been unsuccessful.
Dengue can be benign, with symptoms including headache,
pain and fever. More serious complications include pain behind the eyes, rash,
bleeding nose or gums and a severe headache.
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