Relation between dengue and climate trends in the Northwest of Mexico

Trop Biomed. 2017 Mar 1;34(1):157-165.

Abstract

Dengue is native to tropical areas. It has expanded into temperate and arid zones in Mexico. Due to climate change, it is urgent to study the behavior of this disease in northwestern Mexico. Incidence of dengue fever and monthly maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall were obtained for 1990-2013 for the State of Baja California Sur. The relation between monthly and seasonal climate data with dengue records was analyzed by Pearson's correlation. The analysis shows that the minimum temperature has increased and the climate factor significantly correlates with dengue. Temperature variations have decreased. In this state, incidence of dengue cases directly correlates with minimum monthly temperature. It is expected that, as minimum temperatures increase to the end of this century, it will likely lead to increasing incidence of dengue. Preventive actions are recommended.