Mosquitoes are seen on stagnant water on the roadside during countrywide dengue infection, in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Aug 24, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)

The illness has long been a scourge in much of Asia and Latin America, causing an estimated 20,000 deaths each year. 

Bangladesh is currently experiencing its worst-ever outbreak, with more than 1,000 deaths.

Jeremy Farrar, an infectious diseases specialist of the World Health Organization told Reuters, “We need to really prepare countries for how they will deal with the additional pressure that will come… in the future in many, many big cities.” 

Farrar, who previously spent 18 years working in Vietnam on tropical diseases including dengue, said the infection is likely to “take off” and become endemic in parts of the United States, Europe and Africa.

There is no specific treatment for dengue, although there is a vaccine available.