On Oct. 8, 2024, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced an epidemiological alert and urged countries in the Americas to strengthen their dengue response plans as cases continued to rise across the region. 2024 marked a record number of dengue cases and transmission season has begun in South America. PAHO emphasized the importance of surveillance, early diagnosis, and timely care to prevent severe cases and fatalities.

PAHO underscored that the Region of the Americas had reported over 11.7 million dengue cases as of September 9, 2024 – more than double the number of cases reported in 2023. All four serotypes of the dengue virus were circulating in the region with increased the risk of severe illness.