Activists blame climate change as UAE sees spike in dengue cases; WHO warns of global surge
- Weather patterns have turned countries previously inhospitable to dengue-carrying mosquitos into possible habitats
The United Arab Emirates has seen a surge in dengue cases. Photo: Shutterstock Three months ago, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) witnessed its heaviest recorded rainfall ever. Since then, the desert nation has issued a multitude of warnings about dengue. Activists say the disease has struck hardest among the vast population of labourers.
The tropical disease, spread by mosquitos, has witnessed a worldwide spike. The World Health Organization declared it an emergency in December last year as cases have globally increased tenfold over the last generation.
Many people infected by the virus are asymptomatic, but some experience headaches, fever and flu-like symptoms. Severe cases can lead to serious bleeding, shock and death.
In the UAE, the disease has usually spread due to travel on long-haul carriers into the country. However, in April, the Department of Health alerted that locally transmitted cases without travel history have been documented since 2023 “as a result of climate change and an environment conducive to mosquito breeding.”
Changes in weather patterns turn countries previously inhospitable to dengue-carrying mosquitos into possible habitats.
The April deluges, which flooded portions of major highways and Dubai’s international airport, only amplified the risk in the Gulf country. While major thoroughfares quickly saw vacuum pumps arrive, others remained saddled for weeks with stagnant pools of water, where virus-carrying mosquitos lay their eggs and spread the disease.
Hong Kong records 37 dengue cases so far this year
No official figures have been shared in the Emirates where broad laws severely restrict freedom of speech. Almost all major local media are either state-owned or state-affiliated outlets. Queries sent to various governmental organisations about the exact number of confirmed dengue cases went unanswered.
Meanwhile, public awareness campaigns across the sheikdom on the importance of cleaning stagnant water and warnings about dengue, also known as breakbone fever, have been widely aired on state media.
Still, activists stressed that communities of labourers are bearing the brunt of the disease.
The slow clean-up of flooded areas in industrial sites has worsened the spread of the disease among labourers. Some of these labourers have left their home countries already affected by climate change for a chance to earn money in the UAE, according to a report issued by FairSquare, a London-based group focused on labuor rights in the Gulf Arab states.
The UAE’s overall population of more than 9.2 million is only 10 per cent Emirati, with millions of low-paid workers from Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
“I call it a double whammy of climate change on this very vulnerable population,” said Barrak Alahmad, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “I see that these migrant workers are on the front line facing the effects of climate change and health.”
Earlier this year, Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro declared a public health emergency y because of mosquito-borne dengue fever. In July, US officials warned doctors to stay on alert as the tropical disease broke international records.