According to a recent official report, the state of Kerala in India recorded the highest number of dengue cases and deaths in the country in 2023. The state registered 9,770 cases and 37 deaths last year. The number of dengue cases in Kerala doubled in 2023 compared to 4,432 in 2022 (with 29 deaths, Kerala ranked fifth among the states in 2022).
Inadequate sanitation is one of the reasons for the spread of the disease.
Uttarakhand ranked second in the list of dengue deaths, with 14 deaths, followed by Bihar (7).
Kerala is at high risk of infectious diseases due to multiple factors. Climate change, especially intermittent rains, combined with inadequate waste management and rapid urbanization, potentially increases the chances of mosquito breeding, thereby raising the incidence of dengue and chikungunya.
