New vector habitats are established due to stagnant water accumulation in uncovered natural and man-made containers and earthen pools that are carved out by the flooding from the storms. In many parts of The Caribbean and Central America, dengue fever is reemerging as a significant public health problem. Although increased incidence is apparent, the extent and causes of the increase have not been adequately documented. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, make an already bad situation worse, creating greater vulnerability to dengue hemorrhagic fever and mortality.

The region's capacity to control vector-borne diseases appears to have weakened, in part due to the lack of an established system for gathering, storing, processing and interpreting epidemiological data and diagnostic and laboratory capability to generate reliable data. Further complicating the diminished capacity to control vector-borne diseases, is an elevated risk of dengue epidemics as well as dengue hemorrhagic fever following a hurricane. In sum, natural disasters such as a hurricane inevitably cause the disruption of vector control programs and the creation of new mosquito habitats, further elevating the risk of dengue transmission. Health risks due to dengue fever can be substantially reduced through improved surveillance and community-based prevention and control programs.