The southern part of Bolivia is strongly affected by dengue fever. At least 26 people have died so far. Hospitals are reaching their capacity limit.
Thousands of infections have been recorded since the beginning of the year. According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, hospitals, especially in the south of the country, are reaching the limits of their resilience. However, the health system is not about to collapse, he said.
This is the largest mosquito-borne outbreak since the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the nearly 7,000 cases detected since January have been in Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s most populous region.
Children mainly affected
A local radio station, AP news agency reported that many children are in serious condition in hospitals. In Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the capital of the southern department of Santa Cruz, more than half of dengue patients in clinics are minors. According to the ministry, dozens of additional hospital beds are now available there. In addition, additional medical and nursing staff must be hired.
Number of cases doubled
At least 26 people have died, according to the Bolivian Ministry of Health. The number of dengue fever cases is currently twice as high as the previous year in Bolivia.
Dengue viruses can therefore be transmitted in large parts of the country by diurnal Aedes mosquitoes. The disease is usually accompanied by fever, rashes and severe body aches. Serious complications can occur, especially in children. Dengue occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), three billion people live in dengue risk areas.
In 2009, there was already a major dengue epidemic in Bolivia. At that time, according to the Red Cross, 27 deaths in the Santa Cruz region were reported to the Ministry of Health. So, as with today’s outbreak, Santa Cruz was the hardest hit. There was no dengue virus vaccine at the time, but a vaccine is available today.
All about dengue fever
https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/ Maladies-et-traumatismes/ Maladies-a-transmission-vectorielle/dengue#:~:text=La%20dengue%20est%20une%20 Maladie,Ses%20complications%20peuvent%20%C3 %AAtre%20s%C3%A9v%C3%A8res.
