A single tropical cyclone can trigger thousands of excess dengue cases—a finding that reshapes how epidemiologists view cyclone-disease interactions. During Typhoon Kalmaegi in Guangzhou, 2014, field entomology and dynamic modelling revealed a 63% increase in Aedes albopictus flight distance and a 30.1% rise in human-mosquito contact rates. These behavioral shifts drove an estimated 5,131 excess dengue cases beyond baseline projections, costing the health system US$1.93 million. The basic reproduction number (R₀) increased from 1.10 to 1.29 during the event. Most significantly, targeted vector control deployment during cyclone forecasts could have prevented 59,360 cases across multiple outbreak scenarios, saving US$20.91 million. These figures demonstrate that climate-aware vector management represents one of the most cost-effective public health interventions available to cyclone-prone regions.
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