Vertical Transmission of Dengue Virus in Aedes Mosquitoes: An Overlooked Challenge for Sustainable Dengue Prevention

Abstract

Dengue has become one of the fastest-grow­ing mosquito-borne viral diseases worldwide, causing 390 million infections annually and imposing an enormous burden on public health systems, particularly in tropi­cal and subtropi­cal countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) included dengue among the 10 priori­ties of its strategic plan. The WHO estimates that 40% of the world’s population is at risk of contracting the dis­ease. Despite extensive efforts to control den­gue through vector man­agement, outbreaks continue to increase in fre­quency and geo­graphic extent (1).