The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has activated an alert for outbreaks of dengue throughout the Latin American region. So far this year there have been more than two million cases, surpassing the record 2016 figure.
As at the end of August 2019, there were 2,029,342 cases notified in the region, with 723 deaths. The countries most affected were Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Dr. Miguel Aragón from PAHO explained that the outbreak had especially affected the Central American countries due to the heat this year. He said the pace of illnesses should pick up in South America with the arrival of spring and summer. The spreading of the virus is directly linked to poverty, given the methods of storing water and lack of environmental controls. He said that climate change has brought warmer temperatures and an increase in the mosquito population.
Brazil has reported the highest number of cases of dengue with 1,345,994 people infected. Guatemala has the highest dengue death rate at 0.32% of cases diagnosed.
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El Dia
10 September 2019