Fatima Shawky
Thursday, March 16, 2023 11:46 AM
The Peruvian Ministry of Health confirmed that an outbreak of dengue fever in the Amazon regions and the northern coast of Peru has resulted in the death of 26 people and the injury of more than 20,000 others so far, according to the Spanish newspaper Milenio.
“So far, dengue cases in the country have risen to 20,044, of which 162 people were hospitalized due to the severity of the disease and 26 people died,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry indicated that the most affected Amazon regions are Ucayali with 4,159 cases, Loreto with 3,713 and Madre de Dios with 1,455, all located on the border with Brazil, as well as San Martin with 1,706 and Hunoco with 1,464.
She explained that the Piura region has 2,486 cases, as floods occur due to heavy monsoon rains.
The Health Authority has sent technical teams to areas affected by the disease, which is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, to enhance prevention and control of dengue fever.
The Peruvian government declared a 90-day state of health emergency due to an outbreak of dengue fever in 13 provinces in northern, central and southeastern Peru.
Last year, Peru recorded 72,844 cases of dengue fever, an increase of 62% in the incidence of the disease compared to 2021, which left 84 deaths, while in 2020, there were 86 deaths and 46,749 cases of infection.
Dengue is an endemic disease in the tropics that causes high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in severe cases, bleeding that can cause death. It was first detected in Peru in 1984 and has since become an endemic disease.
