Thursday, 10 July 2025-
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new guidelines to support health care providers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed arboviral diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. This is the first time WHO has published global guidelines that cover all four diseases.
Once limited to tropical and subtropical climates, the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit these diseases are spreading to new regions due to climate change, population growth, increased travel and urbanization, increasing the risk of outbreaks. Arboviruses are now a growing public health threat, putting over 5.6 billion people at risk.
Diagnosing dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever can be challenging as their symptoms often overlap and resemble other febrile illnesses. In addition, in some regions, multiple arboviruses may circulate at the same time, making clinical diagnosis even more challenging, especially where testing is limited. As outbreaks increase and spread to new regions, it is critical that clinicians recognize these diseases and treat patients according to the latest, evidence-based guidance.
WHO’s new guidelines are designed to help health care providers give patients the best possible care to prevent severe disease and deaths. The guidelines include recommendations to health care providers for the management of patients with both non-serious and serious arboviral illness requiring hospitalization. The guideline can be applied at all levels of the health system, including community-based care, primary care, emergency departments and hospital wards.
