More than 31,000 cases have been reported in the South American country
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- Peru declared a health emergency in most of its provinces on Monday due to a surge in dengue cases.
- The health ministry reported that dengue cases have doubled in the first seven weeks of this year compared to the same period in 2023.
- The emergency status will expedite fund transfers to affected regions and facilitate the transportation of medical personnel.
Peru declared a health emergency in most of its provinces on Monday due to a growing number of dengue cases that are occurring at a time of higher than usual temperatures caused by the El Niño weather pattern.
According to the nation’s health ministry, the number of dengue cases registered during the first seven weeks of this year is twice as high as during the same period in 2023 – with more than 31,000 cases recorded.
"This is a grave problem," health minister Cesar Vásquez said last week, before the emergency was declared. "And it is getting out of hand."
DENGUE OUTBREAK IN PERU REACHES 200K CASES, 200 DEAD, HEIGHTENED BY EL NIÑO RAINS
The health emergency will enable the nation’s government to transfer funds faster to the affected regions and also transport doctors and nurses. It will cover 20 of the country’s 24 provinces, including regions that surround the capital city of Lima.
A worker fumigates a house against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the spread of dengue fever in a neighborhood in Piura, northern Peru. Peru declared a health emergency in most of its provinces on Monday due to a growing number of dengue cases that are occurring at a time of higher than usual temperatures caused by the El Niño weather pattern. (ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images)
A dengue epidemic last year put Peru's public health system under strain as thousands sought care in emergency rooms.
The disease is spread by Aedys Egypti, a mosquito that reproduces in hot and humid conditions.
Although most dengue cases present light symptoms, the disease can cause severe headaches, fevers and muscle pains.
Last year, a dengue epidemic in Peru killed 18 people, while in the first two months of this year 32 Peruvians have died from the virus.
In December, the World Health Organization said that Peru's 2023 dengue epidemic was linked to rains and hot temperatures that helped mosquito populations to grow, especially in the north of the country.
