A decline in vaccination rates has seen a resurgence in infectious diseases like measles, whooping cough and polio. — TNS
Some infectious diseases saw a huge surge in 2024, with the spread attributed in part to climate change, declining vaccination rates and the advent of new pathogen variants.
The findings, part of a preliminary analysis by London-based disease forecasting firm Airfinity Ltd, seek to renew the focus on the rise of preventable and climate-sensitive diseases, as well as a coordinated global response.
By late December (2024), the world saw dengue cases jump to a new record of over 13 million, more than double last year’s number.
Dengue infections nearly tripled in Central and South America, and killed almost 10,000 globally this year (2024).
Cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, rose almost 10 times the total number of 2023.
Many others such as mpox, oropouche fever (a viral infection similar to dengue that is common in Central and South America, and transmitted via midge and mosquito bites) and poliomyelitis (also known in short as polio) were also on the rise.
The year (2024) also saw an unprecedented number of humans contracting avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus in the United States.
Sixty-one cases had been reported as of late December.
Rwanda also reported its first outbreak of Marburg virus, which can cause severe and potentially fatal haemorrhagic fever in people.
The analysis, which relied on data from 128 sources from 206 countries, found that extreme temperature and changing climate patterns contributed to the surge of diseases.
Some of these are caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites borne by vectors, including mosquitoes and ticks.
Warmer temperatures mean that some of these vectors are able to survive and spread to new regions.
ALSO READ: 'Virus hunters' on the prowl to track the next pandemic
This year (2024) is expected to be the hottest on record, with the average global temperature reaching 1.62 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels in November, according to the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Besides, falling immunisation rates after the Covid-19 pandemic and emergence of new strains of diseases also contributed to the wider spread.
Mpox, the typically less contagious and milder cousin of smallpox, has killed hundreds of people this year (2024) after a more severe strain appeared in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This had prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it as a global public health emergency for the second time.
Declining immunisation rates globally post-pandemic led to a comeback of measles, which saw a 380% jump in the US and 147% increase in Europe.
Airfinity also found that large-scale population movement and disruption in vaccine campaigns due to military conflicts led to the resurgence of polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
They are the two remaining countries in the world that are still endemic for infectious diseases that affect mostly children.
“The resurgence of preventable and climate-sensitive illnesses highlights the importance of adhering to preventive measures while advancing innovation to address diseases,” said Airfinity analyst Kristan Piroeva.
She called for global data sharing and surveillance of trends for a coordinated public health response. – By Karoline Kan/Bloomberg News/Tribune News Service
