Position Paper

Country: The French Republic

Committee: World Health Organization
Topic: Dengue: prevention and care
Delegate: Alejandra Isabel Ramírez Salazar

“The most prudent thing that people can do at this time is to take common sense approaches to
reduce your risk of exposure.” ― Asa Don Brown

Dengue Virus has been threatening humanity since 1827, infecting 400 million people and killing
40,000 civilians yearly. Transmitted by the bite of a mosquito infected with one of the four
serotypes of the dengue virus, this sickness produces fever, Nausea, vomiting, and Rash, among
other symptoms. The International community has expressed their concern regarding how the
situation is turning out to be. Seeing as how the rise of the temperature is helping the
reproduction of the Aedes Aegypti larvae, action must be taken now.
The disease is now endemic in over 80 countries worldwide. We highlight the Americas, with
three million suspected and confirmed cases of dengue reported so far this year. (Item, 2023c).
People’s lives are in danger because of this virus, so to solve this current matter, we need to go
straight up to the root of the problem and stop losing innocent lives.

People are continuing to fight this virus, not only the WHO getting involved to look for a
solution to this health emergency, but also big entities like the PAHO and NGOs like Doctors
Without Borders. Campaigns and resolutions made with international cooperation have shown an
enhancement of the situation; Small actions play a pivotal role in solving this sanitary problem.
The French Republic has taken action to eradicate any possible case of dengue, as this nation has
controlled every case of dengue registered (Reporter, 2023c). France and the World Health
Organization share a fundamental commitment to suppress this disease. The French Republic has
lent a hand to the committee’s work toward its goal of decreasing dengue cases worldwide by
implementing regulations and prevention campaigns; without forgetting about the sanitary
regulations and action plan willing to be taken in case a dengue case is detected, for example,
fumigating the whole area. In addition, this country has adopted eight legal frameworks that
promote gender balance in elections and decision-making balance. Besides, this nation has
recently become a key actor in global health. (World Health Organization: WHO, 2023)

The French Republic highly encourages the “A Lovely Night” action plan, which promotes the
fumigation of dengue outbreaks-affected zones through three main phases: 1. Analyze: Study the
zones that present most dengue outbreaks and identify the main concentration of them. 2.
Eradicate: With the help of the NGO Doctors Without Borders along with the World Mosquito
Program, French volunteers, and WHO staff, the fumigation will commence. The sprays needed
to fumigate the areas and the protection required will be given by the French government. 3.
Prevent: Continue following the health guidelines provided by the WHO to prevent future
outbreaks and cause more infections.
References:

1. Dengue. (n.d.). PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization.

https://www.paho.org/en/topics/dengue

2. Dengue worldwide overview. (2023, August 25). European Centre for Disease Prevention

and Control.

https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/dengue-monthly#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20and%20as

%20of,from%2070%20countries%2Fterritories%20globally.

3. Dengue Prevention. (n.d.). https://www.nea.gov.sg/dengue-zika/stop-dengue-now

4. Reducing the risk of local dengue transmission in France — English. (n.d.).

Climate-ADAPT.

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engue-transmission-in-france

5. The International Dengue Task Force: Dedicated to the Fight against Dengue. (n.d.-b).

PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health Organization.

https://www.paho.org/en/topics/dengue/international-dengue-task-force-dedicated-fight-a

gainst-dengue

6. Spike in dengue cases due to global warming, warns WHO. (2023, August 11). UN

News. https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138962

7. Reducing the risk of local dengue transmission in France — English. (n.d.-c).

Climate-ADAPT.

https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/metadata/case-studies/reducing-the-risk-of-local-d

engue-transmission-in-france