San Salvador/Latin Press
Dengue fever has increased in El Salvador, from 16 cases on this date in 2023 to 272 so far in 2024, according to the Ministry of Health (Minsal).
The country is in a threat zone and has not yet reached an epidemic level, said today the director of Civil Protection, Luis Amaya, recalling that they are on red alert due to the increase in cases, while fumigation and mosquito outbreaks are being fought throughout the country.
He said that in neighboring countries like Honduras and Guatemala there are many epidemic cases, which does not occur in El Salvador.
According to Minsal data, four cases of dengue were confirmed in January of this year alone, whereas in 2023 the first cases were confirmed during the first week of February. In 2024, at the end of the second month, 10 patients with dengue were already reported, during epidemiological week 10.
Since week 25, those affected by the disease began to have an exponential increase with positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, according to the same entity.
From only six cases of dengue detected in week 24, the Ministry of Health went on to confirm 26 people with this disease, and the following week there were 100; subsequently there were 114 patients positive for dengue at an apparent peak time.
Statistics indicate that suspected cases have also increased by at least 350 percent compared to last year, given that in 2024 there will be 4,458 patients who presented symptoms of possible dengue.
So far, El Salvador has confirmed six deaths from the disease, which primarily affects children. In addition to these deaths, at least 401 people have been hospitalized for this reason, compared to the 428 reported hospital admissions throughout the previous year.
Official data indicate that of the 44 municipalities into which the country is now divided, only 11 are not affected by dengue, while two have a moderate impact, the rest are affected but at a mild level.
#Dengue #increases #Salvador
