Infections and Deaths from Dengue Surges Trifold in Peru

Deaths from dengue have more than tripled in Peru this year, according to government data. Dengue is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes. Although some infections don’t present symptoms, the most common symptoms of the disease are rashes, nausea, body aches, headache, and high fever. A severe form of the disease that is more threatening for pregnant women and infants can cause internal bleeding.

The government of the South American nation has doubled its efforts to contain the epidemic that is ravaging poor communities. This week, the government of President Dina Boluarte approved an “emergency decree” that gives room for extraordinary economic measures to boost the plans to combat the outbreak.

Experts said the current wave of infection is exacerbated by climate change. The Ministry of Health in the country on Thursday, April 11, 2024, said the country has registered 117 deaths from dengue since this year. This is more than three times the number of total deaths (33) registered within the same period last year. Suspected cases have jumped trifold to around 135,000. 

The battle against dengue has intensified

In recent days, health officials have carried out large-scale fumigation in poor neighborhoods across the capital, Lima. Cemeteries were not spared because it was found that they have become the breeding ground for mosquitoes due to the collection of water in vases honoring the deceased.

Experts described the alarming nature of the outbreak in Peru, citing how it shows the ability of the vector, the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, to spread to areas where the virus was previously undetected. The most cases of dengue were recorded in the northern and coastal parts of the country, including Lima. 

“The mosquito has been adapting to climate change and is reproducing at a faster rate than in previous years,” said Augusto Tarazona, an epidemiologist at the University of Lima. “We are in a critical situation in Latin America.”

Tarazona said that Peru was experiencing both higher infection and death rates than Argentina and Brazil, judging from the incident rate of 330.27 cases per 100,000 and comparing the respective population sizes of the different countries.