Alarming Increase in Fatal Dengue Cases in Latin America

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Cases of dengue fever in Latin America continue to rise sharply. Over the past 13 months, the virus has caused 1,530 deaths and 1,346,991 confirmed infections, according to data from the Pan American Health Organization (OPS).

Latin America is in a state of emergency. The number of deaths caused by this disease is much higher than that caused by the recently spreading Coronavirus.

If left untreated, the mortality rate for dengue fever is up to 20 percent. It is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.

Over 19 countries in Latin America are exposed to this virus. Above all Paraguay, but also Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina have recorded an alarming increase in new infections in recent weeks. However, the countries with the highest infection rates per inhabitant are in Central America.

According to OPS, there are some 2,271 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Nicaragua, 1,021 in Belize, 995 in Honduras and 375 in El Salvador.

Paraguay has probably been hit the hardest. A health emergency was already declared there in late February. In the meantime, the number of confirmed infections in Paraguay has risen to over 20,000.

The Spanish agency EFE reports that there could even be up to 164,000 cases. A large number have shown symptoms, but could not yet be tested. By Friday, March 13th, 47 dengue deaths were reported in Paraguay, this year alone. The number of unreported cases could even be as high as 86.

In Panama, health minister Julio Mazzoleni said that there are two confirmed dengue deaths in the country. Honduras reported the ninth dengue death this week. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 77.8 percent of the deaths are children under 15 years of age. So far there are more than 9,500 confirmed infections in the country.

In the case of Bolivia, over 7,700 cases have been confirmed in seven departments. There are a total of 47,754 suspected cases of dengue fever. According to government authorities, 75 percent of these are in Santa Cruz, the country’s second city.

In Buenos Aires there are 194 confirmed cases and another 200 likely infections. The National Health Surveillance System was notified of 4,089 suspected cases.

Mexico has also reported more cases of dengue fever this year than in all of 2019, with 1,455 infections reported in Mexico in only two months, according to the Ministry of Health. This represents an increase of 104.6 percent compared to data for the same period in 2019, when 711 cases were recorded.

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