Dengue cases in Mexico rise more than 300 per cent this year
The majority of infections have been detected in only five states
According to the most recent dengue report from the Mexican Health Ministry, confirmed cases of the infection have increased 337 per cent this year.
Between 1 January and 7 October, 30,320 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were confirmed in Mexico – 6,942 were recorded over the same period of 2022.
Of these, 871 cases were considered serious and 12,636 were deemed cases with ‘signs of alarm’. The other 16,813 cases were considered ‘non-serious’.
The Health Ministry also stated that there have been more than 167,000 probable dengue cases this year, with 48 deaths caused by the infection.
The majority of cases of dengue have been seen in five states: Yucatán (7,523), Veracruz (6,402), Quintana Roo (3,369), Morelos (2,300), and Puebla (2,082) – making up 71.5 per cent of all cases in Mexico.
From January to October 2022, Yucatán recorded only 150 cases, so this year’s figure of 7,523 represents a 4,915 per cent increase.
The increased number of cases has coincided with the annual rainy season – favourable conditions for the propagation of dengue.
Dengue serotype 3 (DENV-3)
The head of the Arbovirology Laboratory at the Autonomous University of Yucatán, Julián García Rejón, told the newspaper El Economista that dengue serotype 3 (DENV-3) – one of four dengue serotypes – is currently present across the majority of Mexico.
This serotype is not prevalent in Mexico, therefore many of the population are susceptible to the illness if they are bitten by a female Aedes genus mosquito carrying dengue.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) explained that ‘following infection with one serotype, subsequent infection with a different serotype increases a person’s risk of severe dengue and death’.
García explained that it is likely that DENV-3 reached Mexico from Central or South America, where there have been large outbreaks earlier this year. People with dengue caused by DENV-3 may have travelled to Mexico and subsequently infected mosquitoes with that serotype, he added.
Another possibility is that mosquitoes carrying DENV-3 arrived here in vehicles or on planes, García said.
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