Dengue in the Americas and Caribbean
26 Jul 2018
The Pan American Health Organisation / World Health Organisation 
reports continuing transmission of dengue in the Americas and the Caribbean. Brazil remains the country with the largest case number( 171 582) and highest incidence (81.98/100 000).
Country groupings are as described by PAHO/WHO. All incidences are per 100 000 population. Figures are as reported up to 15 July 2018.
Central American Ithsmus and Mexico
Belize: Total cases 586 (Incidence 156.27)
Costa Rica: Total cases 922 (Incidence 18.79)
El Salvador: Total cases 2 743 (Incidence 43.01)
Guatemala: Total cases 1 392 (Incidence 8.23)
Honduras: Total cases 4 175 (Incidence 45.06)
Mexico: Total cases 16 348 (Incidence 12.66)
Nicaragua: Total cases 20 819 (Incidence 334.82)
Panama: Total cases 2 925 (Incidence 71.36)
Andean Subregion
Bolivia: Total cases 4 386 (Incidence 39.69)
Colombia: Total cases 18 245 (Incidence 37.18)
Ecuador: Total cases 1 955 (Incidence 11.76)
Peru: Total cases 5 896 (Incidence 18.33)
Venezuela: Total cases 3 633 (Incidence 11.36)
Southern Cone
Argentina: Total cases 1 796 (Incidence 4.06)
Brazil: Total cases 171 582 (Incidence 81.98)
Chile: Total cases 18 (Incidence 0.10
Paraguay: Total cases 27 149 (Incidence 398.61)
Latin Caribbean
Cuba: Total cases 548 (Incidence 4.77)
Dominican Republic: Total cases 564 (Incidence 5.24)
Non-Latin Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda: Total cases 5 (Incidence 5.26)
Aruba: Total cases 17 (Incidence 14.78)
Bahamas: Total cases 4 (Incidence 1.01)
Cayman Islands: Total cases 14 (Incidence 24.14)
Dominica: Total cases 24 (Incidence 32.43)
French Guiana: Total cases 115 (Incidence 40.64)
Grenada: Total cases 140 (Incidence 125)
Guadeloupe: Total cases 8 (Incidence 1.780
Guyana: Total cases 10 (Incidence 1.29)
Jamaica: Total cases 139 (Incidence 4.81)
Martinique: Total cases 73 (Incidence 18.96)
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Total cases 3 (Incidence 5.66)
Saint Lucia: Total cases 30 (Incidence 18.18)
Saint Martin: Total cases 29 (Incidence 69.05)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Total cases 2 (Incidence 1.96)
Trinidad and Tobago: Total cases 49 (Incidence 3.58)
Turks and Caicos Islands: Total cases 0 (Incidence 0)
Virgin Islands (UK): Total cases 10 (Incidence 28.57)
Advice for Travellers
Dengue is the second most common identified cause of febrile illness in returning travellers and the number of cases in travellers continues to increase. All travellers to endemic regions are potentially at risk of dengue fever and should be aware of this infection. Prevention relies on avoiding mosquito bites.
Aedes mosquitoes are particularly persistent and aggressive and bite between dawn and dusk.
Methods of bite avoidance include:
• Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin during the day.
• The use of insect repellent containing DEET applied to any exposed skin between dawn and dusk.
• When sunscreen and DEET are used together, DEET should be applied after sunscreen. The effectiveness of repellent reduces more rapidly than sunscreen, therefore, repellent may have to be reapplied on top of sunscreen.
• The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets protects against early morning bites and should also be used when sleeping during the day.
• The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
• Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around accommodation/home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water).
Vaccine
There is no vaccine against dengue fever licensed in the UK.
At present the World Health Organisation (WHO) is trialling several candidate vaccines against dengue fever.
For further information see Dengue Fever.