More than 30 children dead and almost 46,000 infected in the largest dengue outbreak in more than a decade in Peru

MADRID, 17 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

At least 31 children and adolescents have died in Peru as a result of dengue and another 45,900 have been infected with this virus in what is already considered the worst outbreak of the disease in more than a decade, according to the NGO Save the Children.

So far in 2023, more than 150,294 new cases of dengue have been registered in the country. This data is the highest since 2017, when 74,000 cases were reported throughout the year.

This outbreak has affected 18 of the 24 regions of the country and has led to the declaration of a state of emergency in them. The total number of fatalities has risen to 252 across the country.

Children and adolescents represent more than 30 percent of all cases in the latest outbreak in Peru. These age groups, Save the Children has pointed out, "are especially vulnerable to this disease because their immune systems are weaker than that of adults and they often play outdoors, where there is less protection against mosquitoes."

"As with Covid-19, it affects us a lot, it even kills some children, and many of us now have to go back to teaching our classes at home. People are very scared," explained Andrés, a 16-year-old teenager. years of the Lima region.

These figures show "the high vulnerability of children to this disease and the need to strengthen prevention and control measures against dengue", as Save the Children pointed out in its latest statement.

Dengue is common in tropical areas of the world, and outbreaks are typical during the rainy seasons. For this reason, dealing with this outbreak has been a challenge for Peru, whose climatic conditions --with high temperatures and heavy rains, intensified with the arrival of Cyclone Yaku-- have created an ideal environment for the reproduction of the mosquito that transmits the virus. .

Fever, drowsiness, lack of energy, irritability, rash, vomiting, and unusual bleeding are some of the most common symptoms of this disease, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.