UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Outbreaks of the deadly parasitic disease dengue fever are now a major threat to global public health, the World Health Organization says.
WHO say the number of cases of the disease has more than doubled in the last 10 years, and unless countries act quickly it will only get worse, the BBC reported.
Two-fifths of the world's population are at risk of the disease, with the majority living in the Asia Pacific region, health experts say.
A serious flu-like illness that is transmitted by mosquitoes, dengue can develop into dengue hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal.
Outbreaks in the Western Pacific region as well as cases recorded in previously unaffected areas show that action must be taken without delay, WHO says.
"National resources need to be mobilized to sustain dengue prevention and control, and the disease's profile needs to be raised on the global health agenda to stimulate the interest of international agencies and donors," Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said.
"The fight against this disease is everybody's problem," he said.
