Dengue and chikungunya

Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection of growing international public health importance, found in both tropical and subtropical regions, predominantly in urban and semi-urban areas. Living in over 125 endemic countries and territories, 3.6 billion people are at risk of dengue.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. The cause is an alphavirus of the family Togaviridae. The name derives from a root verb in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of people with joint pain. The disease occurs mainly in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades, mosquito vectors spread to Europe and the Americas. In 2007, disease transmission was reported for the first time in Europe, in a localized outbreak in north-eastern Italy.