Health emergency declared in 20 regions due to dengue in Peru
The government wants to stop the spread of the disease, which has already seen more than 31,000 cases.
A specimen of the white-legged mosquito, scientifically known as Aedes aegypti and dengue vector
The Peruvian government has declared a health emergency in 20 regions due to a surge in dengue cases, a disease that has also caused alertness to be raised in other countries in the region.
The Minister of Health, César Vásquez Sánchez, has stated that, with this announcement, the government will be able to increase the distribution of funds to the affected areas. Authorities plan to allocate more than 160 million soles (about 38 million euros) to deal with the emergency.
The alert will be in place for a period of 90 days and the government aims to contain the spread of the disease which already has more than 31,000 cases nationwide. According to official figures, at least 32 people have died due to dengue in Peru.
“As the World Health Organization announced just a few months ago, 2024 will be a devastating year for Latin America in terms of dengue,” the minister said, mainly due to an “abnormal heat wave and the absence of winter.”
The minister has also appealed for citizen cooperation and warned that administrative and political decisions alone are not enough to stop the disease. In this sense, he reminded that families must allow the teams responsible for fumigation and mosquito larva control to enter their homes.
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