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Cases of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya in Peru

The alarming numbers of mosquito-borne disease cases

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Updated

As the heavy rains and flooding over the past weeks combined with warm weather offered ideal conditions for mosquitos to reproduce, Peru now faces next to many other problems caused by the natural disaster alarming numbers of diseases transmitted especially by the mosquito species Aedes aegypti including dengue fever, zika and chikungunya fever.

Compiled by the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Disease Control of the Ministry of Health (Minsa), the National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) announced on April 24, 2017 confirmed and suspected cases of above mentioned mosquito-borne diseases in their latest newsletter.

Cases of Dengue fever in Peru

Until April 15, 2017 a total of 16,048 dengue fever cases, 4738 confirmed and 11,310 suspected, were registered in Peru.

Most affected is the region of Piura with 1,090 confirmed and 5,307 suspected dengue fever cases, followed by the La Libertad region with 807 confirmed and 562 suspected cases, and the Ica regionwith 513 confirmed and 1206 suspected dengue fever patients.

The Lambayeque region has 483 confirmed dengue fever cases, the Ayacucho region 383, the Ucayali region 363, the Cusco region 327, the Ancash region 122 and the Tumbes region 44 confirmed patients.

Zika cases in Peru

A total of 3,115 Zika cases, 176 confirmed and 2,939 suspected, were registered in Peru. From the confirmed cases 43 are pregnant women.

In the Loreto region there are 99 confirmed and 845 suspected Zika cases, while in the Ica region 31 are infected with Zika and 1,922 suspected to be. In the Ucayali region 2 patients are confirmed to have Zika and in the region of San Martin 1 case was registered.

Chikungunya fever cases in Peru

In 5 Peruvian regions a total of 558 cases of Chikungunya fever, 76 confirmed and 482 suspected, were reported.

The most affected region is Piura with 70 confirmed and 218 suspected Chikungunya fever patients, followed by Tumbes with 6 confirmed and 211 suspected cases.

In the region of Loreto authorities registered 33 suspected cases, in Madre de Dios 19 and in San Martin 1.

Even though the Peruvian Ministry of Health is dedicated to prevent a further worsening of the situation by fumigating affected areas and educating the population, numbers are still rising.

Protect yourself from mosquito-borne diseases

Therefore it is highly recommended to use insect repellent for protection, cover exposed skin, sleep under mosquito nets and cover or, if possible, empty and turn over buckets and containers with water.

Differences between diseases caused by Aedes aegypti (Zika, Dengue fever and Chikungunya)

Be aware that Dengue fever, Zika and Chikungunya fever are all transmitted by the same mosquito species and have very similar, flu-like symptoms. See our picture for detailed information about the symptoms for each disease. Even though in most cases only mild symptoms occur and most people recover without any complications, severe courses of the disease and even death aren’t uncommon. So please visit your doctor as soon as the first symptoms appear.

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