The dengue epidemic in Latin America has reached alarming levels: more than 5. 2 million have already been reported this year.
“We are facing an emergency situation,” Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), told the media.
“We call dengue a ‘silent epidemic’ because the COVID-19 scenario has somewhat overshadowed the dengue problem, as the flow has decreased quarantine measures,” María Victoria Micieli, principal investigator at Argentina’s National Council for Scientific and Technical Research and director of the center. for Parasitological Research and Vector Studies, Said.
The speed at which dengue is spreading across the continent is unprecedented. In 2024, dengue killed 1,800 people, up from 1,000 in the first three months of this year.
Argentina and Brazil were the most affected countries and, together, accounted for the majority of cases. In Argentina, a record 57,461 cases were reported in the first eight weeks of 2024.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease that is spreading around the world due to factors such as urbanization and travel.
“In Argentina, there have been a lot of movements this year,” Miciéli said.
Severe cases are also seen elsewhere.
Peru’s medical government reported that cases and deaths tripled in 2024 from the same period last year. The government is struggling, specifically in the poorest spaces, to engage the spread, and President Dina Boluarte approved an “emergency decree” to expand the national response. .
Due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, there will be very heavy rains this year, which will create many more breeding sites for the vector, Micieli said.
While a vaccine exists, PAHO has warned that its limited availability means transmission must be curbed immediately.
“It’s going to be vital to get vaccinated to overload the fitness system,” Micieli said.
She is a freelance journalist for China Daily.