The World Health Organization issued a warning on Wednesday, stating that the effects of climate change were causing dengue and other arbovirus-borne illnesses to spread more quickly and widely. Global outbreaks may be on the horizon. Several experts with the United Nations health agency sounded the alarm over the surging number of cases of dengue and chikungunya and warned new epidemics of zika can also be expected.

All three conditions are brought on by arboviruses, which are disseminated by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Dr. Raman Velayudhan, who oversees the WHOs dengue and arbovirus initiative, asserted that "climate change has played a crucial role in supporting the spread of the vector mosquitoes."

He and his coworker, Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, WHOs technical lead on chikungunya and zika, stressed the need for immediate action to stop the mosquitoes spread amid worries about more extensive outbreaks in new locations. They added that the number of cases has increased dramatically in recent years, going from roughly 500,000 in 2000 to approximately 5.2 million in 2019. They also added that cases were not properly recorded during the COVID pandemic, but the numbers were persistently high.

In addition, Dr. Rojas Alvarez stated that chikungunya, which has been documented in 115 nations since it was first identified in 1950, is seeing a sharp increase in the Americas. She noted that, in comparison to the 50,000 cases reported during the first half of 2022, there have been about 135,000 cases reported so far this year. 

(Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230405-climate-change-spurring-surge-in-dengue-chikungunya-who)