Peru extends health emergency after registering 73,000 cases of dengue fever

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Peru has extended a health emergency as it faces a record outbreak of dengue fever that has killed more than 80 people so far this year, mainly in its Amazon area and on the country’s northern coast.

More than 73,000 cases have been registered nationwide so far this year, according to a report by the Ministry of Health, representing a more than 100% increase from the same period last year, when around 31,000 cases were reported.

Health Minister Rosa Gutierrez said the figure is the highest since 2017, when there were 68,290 cases and 89 deaths.

The government in February declared a 90-day health emergency due to an outbreak of dengue fever in 13 departments in northern, central and southeastern Peru. On Wednesday, it extended the state of emergency for four months in 20 of the 25 regions of the country.

The areas with the highest rates of dengue fever are Piura, where the health system has already collapsed, Ucayali, Loreto and Ica.

The capital, Lima, usually reports a low rate of dengue cases, but this year, it has already confirmed more than 5,000 cases.

Dengue is a disease common in tropical areas that causes high fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and in the most severe cases, hemorrhages that can lead to death.

The government is seeking to eradicate the mosquito that transmits dengue fever in an attempt to control the outbreak. Gutierrez has said that $10 million was made available for the fight against the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in April that dengue and other diseases caused by mosquito-borne viruses are spreading much further due to the effects of climate change.

According to the WHO, dengue is endemic in 100 countries but poses a threat to 29 others.