The Global Dengue Observatory offers monthly, harmonised tracking of dengue in 88 countries. Developed by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the platform combines World Health Organization data with LSHTM’s OpenDengue Project to give researchers, policy makers and the public a clearer global picture of dengue activity.
Surveillance faces major challenges because reporting is delayed: local cases must be identified, reported to national authorities and then shared with international bodies, a process that can take days or months and varies by country. To address this, LSHTM researchers built algorithms that estimate likely final case counts by adjusting for reporting delays and missing data; these corrections currently apply only to Latin America, the region most affected.
The observatory includes countries that reported at least five cases per month over the past five seasons, so it excludes places where dengue is emerging but case numbers are low, such as France and Italy. By the end of February the platform had recorded 314,783 cumulative cases worldwide, including 235,075 in South America.
The WHO documents a long-term rise in dengue, from 505,430 cases in 2000 to 14.6 million in 2024, and links the surge to expanding mosquito habitats, climate change, weak health systems and political instability. Local spikes illustrate the change: Cochabamba in Bolivia, at 2,550 metres, saw cases jump from about 130 before 2018 to 1,400 in 2019 and more than 8,000 in 2024. The WHO reported 4.4 million cases in Latin America in 2025, a 66 per cent fall from 2024 largely explained by short-term immunity after big outbreaks; some countries remain exceptions. Experts say real-time, harmonised monitoring can help anticipate outbreaks, guide control measures and reveal local spikes that regional averages may hide.
Difficult words
- harmonise — make different data sources consistentharmonised
- surveillance — systematic monitoring of disease and health events
- algorithm — step-by-step method for solving problemsalgorithms
- cumulative — increasing by adding up over time
- surge — a sudden large increase in numbers
- immunity — protection against a disease after exposure
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could real-time, harmonised monitoring help local health authorities prepare for dengue outbreaks? Give two examples.
- What problems cause reporting delays in disease surveillance, and what practical steps might reduce these delays?
- The observatory excludes places with low case numbers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this choice for public health planning?
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