Peru is facing a dengue epidemic that has already killed seven people and more than 12,000 sick since the start of 2021, a third more than in the same period in 2020, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.
"12,125 cases of dengue have been recorded in the country, including seven deaths"
, according to figures dating from the first week of March, said the National Epidemiology Center of the Ministry of Health which launched an epidemiological alert.
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The alert was activated due to a 34% increase in dengue cases compared to the same period last year, according to health authorities.
The epidemic affects a third of the country, including the capital, where the authorities have carried out fumigations to eliminate the Aedes aegypti mosquito, responsible for the spread of dengue, zika and chikungunya.
"There are confirmed cases of dengue fever and teams are working to contain the outbreak"
in Lima, Deputy Health Minister Percy Minaya told RPP radio.
In the Amazon region of Madre de Dios, on the border with Brazil and Bolivia, the incidence of the epidemic is 456 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the country.
In 2020, 88 people had died from dengue, authorities said.
Dengue, chikungunya and zika are three growing tropical infectious diseases.
Dengue fever is characterized by high fevers and muscle pain, with the risk of severe bleeding that can lead to death.
In Peru, the disease was detected in 1984, before becoming endemic.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which depends on the WHO, Latin America and the Caribbean have faced a steady increase in cases since 2019.
This dengue fever alert comes as the South American country of 33 million people faces a particularly virulent second wave of coronavirus, with saturated hospitals and recurring oxygen shortages.
The country has recorded more than 1.4 million cases including more than 50,000 fatalities, and decreed a national containment for Easter week to try to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.
