In recent hours, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert due to the
unusual increase in dengue cases
in the region and Argentina is no exception.
While the so-called “flood mosquito” – which does not transmit dengue – drags the marks and occupies the center of the scene, the dangerous Aedes aegypti does its job with a lower profile.
But its
health impact
is much greater.
According to the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin (BEN), until week six of 2024, more than
48 thousand cases
of dengue and
35 deaths
have been recorded .
In just one week (between the 5th and 6th, the last measure) 9 thousand infections were added.
The figure represents a completely different scenario if compared to the same period in 2023. At this time of the year, at that time, there were
less than a thousand cases
of dengue registered.
Meanwhile, between week 31 of 2022 and week 30 of 2023 -as the complete annual epidemiological dengue season is measured-, the total number of cases was
129,595
.
The novelty is that now the number of autochthonous cases is much greater to begin with and that the geographical expansion of Aedes aegypti is growing towards the south.
Dengue did not stop its transmission during the last winter.
In its recent document, PAHO highlighted Argentina as one of the countries in the region that
is suffering the most
from this unusual epidemiological scenario, which already occurred in 2023 and is repeated so far in 2024.
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Martinique, French Guyana and Guadeloupe are experiencing the same situation.
Why does dengue grow?
In Argentina, the explanation for the sharp increase in dengue cases was explained in the BEN with the argument that infections, although they decreased in the last quarter of 2023, were
never interrupted
.
On the one hand, the bulletin attributes the record to “the persistence of cases, including the
winter season
.”
On the other hand, to “a sustained increase in cases starting in week 40 (2023), representing a
seasonal advance
compared to the previous season.”
Only in the City of Buenos Aires, more than 700 cases of dengue have been confirmed so far (81 autochthonous), while in the province of Buenos Aires the sum currently reaches 1,823 (661 autochthonous).
In Mendoza the unexpected number of 24 cases was registered, although in that case only one is native.
The 35 deaths occurred between weeks 31 of 2023 and 6 of 2024. Eleven occurred in Chaco, 6 in Corrientes, 5 in Formosa, 11 in Misiones and one in the province of Buenos Aires.
Comorbidities
were recorded in 10 deaths
.
The most common were heart disease, diabetes, obesity and chronic kidney failure.
The dengue serotypes involved in the fatal cases were DENV-2, with 11 deaths, and DENV-1, with 6. In the rest it could not be specified.
The dengue vaccine consists of two doses separated by a minimum interval of three months.
The exponential growth of dengue cases coincided with the ANMAT's approval, at the end of last year, of the
vaccine against this infection
.
According to data that
Clarín was able to obtain from the Takeda laboratory, producer of the vaccine, about
200 thousand doses
have already been applied in the Argentine private system
.
The scheme consists of
two doses with an interval of three months
between the first and the second.
The cost of each application today is 70,842 pesos and there are already 20 social and prepaid works that offer discounts to their members to purchase the vaccine.
P.S.