WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says the number of dengue cases in the Americas, including the Caribbean, increased five-fold between 2003 and 2013.

According to data presented this week at a high-level regional meeting on dengue hosted by PAHO, between 2009 and 2012, over one million cases were reported annually, on average, with more than 33,900 severe cases and 835 deaths.

PAHO said last year was one of the worst years for dengue in the hemisphere’s history, with 2.3 million cases, including 37,705 severe cases and 1,289 deaths.

By comparison, the number of cases reported region-wide in 2003 was 517,617, PAHO said.

Despite countries’ efforts to control the disease, PAHO warned that dengue continues to spread due to, among other reasons, uncontrolled, unplanned urbanisation, lack of basic services in communities, poor environmental management, and climate change.

In the Americas, nearly 500 million people are at risk of contracting the disease, PAHO said.

“Controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease, is a great regional and global challenge,” said Marcos Espinal, PAHO’s director of the Department of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis.