Peru reports a near doubling of dengue early in 2024
Health emergency will be declared in 20 of its 25 regions
Peru will declare a health emergency in 20 of its 25 regions due to an increase in dengue cases, with 28 deaths recorded this year, and amid a heat wave and heavy rains favorable to the mass reproduction of the mosquito that transmits the disease , said the country's health minister this Monday.
César Vasquez said there is "an imminent risk" of a dengue outbreak following a 95% increase to 24,981 cases by the seventh week of the year, compared to 12,624 cases with 18 deaths in the same period in 2023.
Most cases in Peru have been recorded in the north of the country, where hospital capacity is overwhelmed.
Given the increase in temperature and rainfall in different regions of the country, the Ministry of Health (Minsa) has ordered to intensify larval control actions, identification and elimination of breeding sites, and fumigation in different regions of the country, to prevent proliferation. mosquito that transmits dengue, within the framework of the Dengue Prevention and Control Plan 2024.
Director of Prevention and Control of Metaxenic Diseases and Zoonoses of the Minsa, Moisés Apolaya Segura called on citizens to allow the entry of health personnel during the larval control and fumigation actions that are carried out in the different regions, as well as involvement in campaigns to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
"The role of citizens in the fight against mosquitoes is important. By allowing entry we will reduce the 40% of closed homes that we have nationwide," he said.
Peru recorded 438 deaths from dengue last year, with 269,216 cases, with May and June being the months with the highest number of cases, according to official data.
The Andean country has faced an unusual increase in temperature and rainfall since 2023 due to warming seas off its coast as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon.