Dengue no more a monsoon disease, cases rise sharply in summer and winter

For years, dengue was seen as a disease that arrived with the monsoon and disappeared once the rains ended. Most people associate the infection with waterlogging, mosquito breeding, and rising fever cases during July to November.

But doctors now say this understanding is outdated. Dengue is increasingly becoming a year-round health concern in many Indian cities.

Health experts are observing dengue infections even during summer and winter months, something that was once considered uncommon.

While the highest number of cases still appears during and after the rainy season, hospitals are now treating dengue patients in months when people usually lower their guard against mosquitoes.

According to doctors, climate change, rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, humidity, rapid urbanisation, and poor water management are all contributing to this shift. Mosquitoes are finding more opportunities to breed, survive, and spread the virus beyond the traditional monsoon period.

Experts also say that many people still wrongly believe



dengue mosquitoes breed only in dirty water.

In reality, the Aedes mosquito, which spreads dengue, breeds in clean stagnant water commonly found inside homes, offices, construction sites, coolers, buckets, plant trays, and overhead tanks.

Dr Niranjan Singh, Additional Director - Internal Medicine, at CK Birla Hospitals, says dengue patterns are clearly changing.

?Dengue was for a long time considered to be a disease connected only to the monsoon. But this trend is changing. We are now seeing earlier, longer, and in some places, almost year-round dengue cases,? he explained.

According to him, rising temperatures are one of the biggest reasons behind this shift. Warmer weather speeds up the mosquito breeding cycle and also allows the dengue virus to grow faster inside the mosquito.

?This makes mosquitoes infectious sooner and in greater numbers,? he said.

Even small spells of rain combined with heat and humidity can create ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes long after the monsoon season ends.