Dengue cases surge by nearly 50% in Americas amid 'emergency situation', UN agency says

Dengue cases have created an "emergency situation" in the Americas, although cases in hotspots Argentina and Brazil appear to have stabilized, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said on Thursday. PAHO, a United Nations agency, has confirmed more than 5.2 million cases of dengue across the Americas this year, an over 48% jump from the 3.5 million cases the group reported late last month. "We have an emergency situation," PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said in a press briefing. "The dengue vaccine can play an important role in reducing severe cases of deaths, but it will take time until the effects of the vaccine can be reflected in the decrease in dengue cases," Barbosa said. In some cases, it can cause a more severe hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding that can lead to death.