Quito. Dengue cases tripled in Ecuador in 2024 and the number of deaths increased more than four times in the first three months of the year, a winter season characterized by constant rains.
The number of people infected by the virus, transmitted by a mosquito, reached 17,043 cases until April 1 and deaths increased from 4 to 18 between January and March, compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report updated from the Ministry of Health sent to The Associated Press.
Last year, in the first three months, there were 5,096 cases.
The most common symptoms are fever, headache, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain.
The Ecuadorian National Public Health Research Institute identified that four serotypes of the virus are circulating in the country, some similar to those in other countries such as Brazil.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, in America in 2024, 3.5 million cases of dengue and more than a thousand deaths from this cause will be reported.
It identified Brazil as the country with the highest number of deaths from dengue, with 758 people and 2.96 million citizens infected, followed by Paraguay, with 191,923 cases and 50 deaths, and Argentina, with 134,202 infected and 96 deaths. .
The expert and health doctor Francisco Viteri, in statements to the AP, expressed that dengue is a tropical disease that proliferates to a greater extent in the winter season “like the one we are going through”, with constant rain and heat, “where ideal conditions for mosquito reproduction Temples of the Egyptiansvector that transmits dengue, with abundant stagnant water and the ideal temperature.
Another factor that has influenced the proliferation of dengue in Ecuador, according to the specialist, is the insecurity that the country is experiencing, because there are large areas, especially in the tropical region, “where medical brigades and fumigation campaigns cannot reach. or specialized care.” He called on the population not to self-medicate because that “masks the cases and can make them more serious.”
The Ministry of Health stated that, given the increase in cases, it maintains actions such as taking samples from confirmed patients to carry out scientific studies, and also carries out campaigns to eliminate mosquito breeding sites that usually proliferate in pots, buckets and other containers with water. stagnant
And he asked the population with symptoms to go to medical centers to receive medical attention.
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– 2024-04-07 17:57:06
