Warning About the Arrival of Aedes Mosquitoes in Tehran; Three Cases of Dengue Fever Identified in Sistan and Baluchestan

As three cases of dengue fever have been identified in Sistan and Baluchestan province, a faculty member of the Pasteur Institute of Iran warned that Aedes mosquitoes are likely to reach Tehran. While Hossein Farshidi, the Deputy Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, has warned that 'dengue fever could be more dangerous than COVID-19 if it becomes widespread,' the website Donya-e-Eqtesad quoted Artemis Ramazani, a faculty member at the Pasteur Institute of Iran, stating: 'Given the spread of Aedes in Gilan and parts of Mazandaran, the possibility of these mosquitoes arriving in Tehran with travelers is high, and in that case, the epidemic rate will increase.' Meanwhile, according to IRNA news agency, Mehdi Zangeneh, the health deputy of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, announced that 'three cases of dengue fever have been identified in Sistan and Baluchestan,' although he claimed that 'all three individuals contracted the disease in the UAE and Pakistan before coming to Iran.' Media in Iran have reported an impending dengue fever epidemic crisis, and the head of the Ministry of Health's Center for Infectious Disease Management has stated that 40 cities are at risk of dengue fever outbreaks. The Aedes mosquito is responsible for dengue fever, and some experts say that climate change in various parts of the world has widened the spread of this disease. Symptoms of dengue fever include 'fever, body aches, weakness, fatigue,' and generally 'cold-like symptoms.' Cases of dengue fever have increased in Iran in recent months. Dr. Javad Aman stated to VOA that the best way to prevent dengue fever is to follow simple measures such as avoiding stagnant water, using mosquito nets outdoors, installing screens on windows, and applying insect repellent sprays on the body to reduce the likelihood of encountering Aedes mosquitoes, which are the cause of dengue fever. Tedros Adhanom, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, has recommended the use of the Takeda vaccine for dengue fever, which was released in 2023. This vaccine, named QDENGA, has been approved in the European Union and countries where the disease is prevalent, such as Indonesia and Brazil. According to a report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), over 10 million cases of dengue fever have been reported in 80 countries worldwide since the beginning of 2024. It is estimated that this disease has caused over five thousand deaths globally in the first half of this year.