WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Week 24: 10 - 16 June 2024
Data as reported by: 17:00; 16 June 2024
...
Cape Verde
Dengue
755 Cases
0 Deaths
0% CFR
EVENT DESCRIPTION
Cape Verde has been experiencing a dengue epidemic
since epidemiological week 24 in 2023 (week ending
on 17 June 2023). After six weeks of plateauing in the
number of new suspected cases and confirmed cases,
there was a sharp increase in the incidence of suspected
cases and confirmed cases in epidemiological week 22
in 2024 (week ending 1 June 2024). In epidemiological
week 22 of 2024, 55 new suspected cases and 31 new
confirmed cases were reported.
Since the onset of the dengue outbreak in Cape Verde,
there have been 1 422 suspected cases and 755
confirmed cases. To date, no deaths from Dengue have
been confirmed in Cape Verde.
Females have had a slight predominance in the cases, at
52.0%. The most affected age group is the 10 to 19-yearold
age group, with 22.0% of cases. The suspected and
confirmed dengue cases in Cape Verde are distributed
within six islands and 15 counties in the country. The most
affected island is Fire Island, with 67.0% of suspected
cases and 69.0% of confirmed cases.
Laboratory surveillance of the dengue virus shows that
among confirmed cases, serotyping identified DENV-3
as the predominant circulating serotype, accounting for
approximately 95%, while the others were DENV-1.
Poor vector control has been identified as one of the
major enablers of dengue outbreaks. Cape Verde, in
collaboration with WHO and UNICEF, is implementing
vector control strategies to curb the mosquito burden,
hence the improvement that has been seen in previous
weeks.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS
All health officials at the national level met to discuss
case definitions and epidemiological, entomological
and laboratory surveillance. Subsequently, a Dengue
Response Coordination team was established, holding
regular meetings to coordinate and harmonize outbreak
management activities. Anti-vector and anti-larval control
activities intensified, and breeding sites were eliminated
through cleaning campaigns.
Mosquito capture using sentinel traps and genomic
sequencing of dengue-infected mosquitoes have
also been conducted. Entomological senior experts
from WHO have also provided technical assistance
surveys and investigations on larvae, nymphs,
and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to understand the
mosquito’s resting behaviour, vector control, and
larvicide effectiveness and to develop standard
operating procedures and dengue emergency
risk estimation tools.
There has been prompt case identification using
guidelines and investigation of case clusters to
determine the source of infections and understand
the pattern of spread.
Hospitalized cases are being treated using the
recommended clinical guidelines, while patients
not meeting admission criteria are advised to use
mosquito nets at home.
Information education and communication on
dengue using various media sources such as
posters, press releases, Television and radio
stations have been ongoing in partnership with
the Red Cross to sensitize on disease prevention
measures and elimination of mosquito breeding sites.
SITUATION INTERPRETATION
Cabo Verde still faces some challenges in response
to the dengue outbreak, for instance the need
for improved testing and surveillance to avoid an
exponential increase in cases, the need to distribute
rapid testing kits to health structures, the maintenance
of the laboratory’s research and serotyping capacity,
and the need to strengthen community mobilization
for the implementation of the Dengue prevention
and control measure. To improve effectiveness and
sustainability of the response, public health and
social control measures must be tailored to the current
epidemiological, social, and economic situation in
Cape Verde.
https://www.afro.who.int/countries/...and-other-emergencies-week-24-10-16-june-2024
