Dengue in the Central African Republic
The Minister for Health and Population in the Central African Republic (CAR), on September 10, confirmed a dengue fever outbreak in the health districts of Bangui 1, 3 and Bimbo in regions 1 and 7.
The first case was confirmed on 13 July 2024 in a 29-year-old woman from France who traveled to Bangui. She presented with symptoms of fever, headache, joint pain to the French Embassy.
From 13 July to 7 September 2024, a total of 13 cases (7 females and 6 males) were laboratory-confirmed for dengue serotype 2 (DEN 2) at Institut Pasteur of Bangui. The 13 confirmed cases belong to the health districts of Bangui 1, Bangui 2 and Bimbo and are aged between 11 and 61 years with a median age of 42 years.
37 total cases have been reported, including 24 suspected cases, and no deaths have been reported.
Three cases were evacuated and diagnosed out of the country. The First two dengue cases confirmed in country were recorded in 2012 and 2023 in Lobaye and Ouaka prefectures respectively. Investigations are ongoing.
In Africa as a whole, more than 74,000 total dengue cases, including nearly 12,000 confirmed cases, and 84 deaths have been reported.
This is an emerging concern is Africa, where there is little clinical experience with the disease, many primary infections go undetected, and funding constraints hinder preparedness and response. Already, 50% of the population lives in unplanned urban settings, a proportion due to rise to 62% by 2050.
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