The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has increased its support to combat a substantial surge in dengue cases in Central America. Compared to the previous year, the region has seen a 98% rise in dengue incidence. Across the entire American continent in 2024, a record-breaking number of over 11 million reported cases and more than 5,900 related deaths have been recorded.
To tackle this situation, PAHO has implemented various strategies. Since 2023, a comprehensive plan in partnership with the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States has been initiated. This plan involves training in management, diagnosis, clinical care, and vector control.
Efforts include updating protocols, enhancing epidemiological surveillance, and establishing a situation room accessible to technical teams in Central American countries for prompt decision-making in dengue prevention and control.
PAHO’s focus is on strengthening countries’ capacities to combat the dengue epidemic, emphasizing rapid detection, appropriate treatment, and timely patient care to reduce severity and save lives. The organization has set up virtual collaboration spaces in Central American countries for real-time analysis of data crucial for detecting outbreaks and making effective public health decisions.
Enhanced entomological surveillance, support for insecticide procurement, utilization of innovative technologies like Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes for vector control, monitoring of insecticide resistance, and improved virological surveillance are part of PAHO’s strategy.
Community engagement is vital in preventing dengue, with PAHO promoting educational materials and communication strategies to reduce mosquito populations. The organization also encourages Central American countries to conduct a Mosquito Action Week to mobilize efforts against breeding sites.
PAHO’s technical missions in the region focus on improving clinical and rapid case detection, strengthening primary healthcare responses, and supporting effective patient care. These coordinated efforts demonstrate PAHO’s commitment to reducing the impact of dengue, protecting public health, and enhancing local capacities to combat the disease in this record year.