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The World Health Organization (WHO) released a plan to fight the infection and rising cases of dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviral diseases such as Zika and chikungunya.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a comprehensive global plan to alleviate the impact of diseases, reduce suffering, and prevent deaths worldwide. This ambitious initiative is set to be executed over one year to achieve significant progress by September 2025
The Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness, and Response Plan (SPRP) highlights fostering a global coordinated response with actions to control transmission. The plan provides recommendations to affected countries for various sectors, including disease surveillance, laboratory activities, community engagement, vector control, clinical management, and research and development, through a whole-of-society and regional approach.
Five Key Components of WHO’s Strategic Plan
The WHO’s SPRP holds five key components for a successful outbreak response:
- Emergency coordination: Establishing leadership and coordination activities
- Collaborative surveillance: Developing and using tools for early detection of disease and control of dengue and other Aedes-borne outbreaks, also including strengthened indicator and event-based surveillance, epidemiological analysis, laboratory diagnostics, and field investigations
- Community protection: Engaging communities through active dialogue and local adaptation of prevention and response measures
- Safe and scalable care: To ensure effective clinical management and resilient health services so that patients can receive adequate care
- Access to countermeasures: Promoting research and innovation for improved treatments and effective vaccines against these diseases.
Dengue Fever: How to Spot Early Signs and Protect Yourself
In most cases, people with dengue fever feel mild or no early signs and will even get better in 1–2 weeks. Dengue can rarely be severe and lead to death.
As early as the symptoms occur, they usually begin 4–10 days after infection and last for 2–7 days which may include:
- Severe headache
- Extreme fever (40°C/104°F)
- Pain behind the eyes
- Pain in joints and muscle
- Nausea or vomiting
- Swollen glands
- Rashes on skin
Prevention and Control
Individuals who contract dengue a second time face a higher risk of developing severe symptoms. If you have dengue, it’s crucial to rest, stay hydrated, use paracetamol for pain relief, avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and monitor for severe symptoms. Contact your doctor immediately if any serious signs appear.
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the mosquitoes that spread dengue are active during the day.
It is always suggested to lower the risk of getting dengue by protecting yourself from mosquito bites by:
- By covering your body with clothes as much as you can.
- Use mosquito nets if you are sleeping during the day.
- Take the help of mosquito-repellent coils and vaporizers to avoid bites.
The Bottom Line
Dengue, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection transmitted to people by mosquitoes. It is frequently found in regions with tropical and subtropical climates, characterized by high temperatures and humidity. Most individuals infected with dengue will not display any symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Strategic Plan will be implemented over one year until September 2025 and will require US$55 million to support health preparedness, readiness, and response efforts. The Strategic Plan for Response to the Prevention and Control of Dengue (SPRP) is a call to action for all stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, communities, and individuals, to come together in the fight against dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses.
