Mortalidad por dengue en infantes asociada con la desigualdad socioeconómica y demográfica en Colombia

Abstract

Dengue is a viral disease that represents a problem at the public health level, it is endemic in more than 100 countries in the world and according to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately half of the world population is is at risk of being infected by this agent, with reports of annual infections between 100 and 400 million (WHO, 2021). The study of the disease considers all the entities involved in its management, including health systems, and populations with their living conditions, which is why today the burden and factors related to dengue are the object of study from various research areas. Social determinants have a determining role in the quality of life, and therefore the health of all people. Colombia is a country of many inequalities, inequity prevails in the different aspects that address life, in particular it is a country with a high percentage of the population with low economic income and with it all the consequences that this connotation brings. As maintained in the hypothesis of this essay, those populations with greater economic backwardness and low education present risks for the development of dengue and are very vulnerable to reporting a high incidence rate. Some authors have indicated that in Latin America and Colombia, mortality from dengue is higher in children, particularly in those aged between 1 and 5 years (Chaparro-Narváez et al., 2016; Lesmes, Casas and Contreras, 2016). , a trend observed in children of the same age in Vietnam, who, due to the risk of dying, were the target of dengue vaccine and drug trials (Anders et al., 2011). In conclusion, it can be said that economic and demographic inequality are determining factors in the development of dengue, and that in the population of infants under 5 years of age they are problems of great influence in terms of the effects of the disease and the consequent mortality that can occur. Public policies should be aimed at improving socioeconomic and demographic indicators, which favor the transmission of dengue. Due to limited resources, prevention measures should be directed primarily to those places with a lower socioeconomic level.