Researchers develop the first climate-based model to predict Dengue fever outbreaks

Scientists use climate variables and vegetation indices to predict and mitigate Dengue epidemics in the American tropics

		IMAGE: Nelson Mena, an undergraduate student from the University of Costa Rica school of microbiology, is collecting mosquito larvae in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Click here for more information.

CORAL GABLES, FL (June 5, 2009)--Dengue Fever (DF) and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) are the most important vector-borne viral diseases in the World. Around 50-100 million cases appear each year putting 2.5 billion people at risk of suffering this debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Dengue Fever is prevalent in the Tropics. For that reason, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Miami (UM) and the University of Costa Rica have used global climatological data and vegetation indices from Costa Rica, to predict Dengue outbreaks in the region.