Positive dengue cases increased in the country by more than 200%. This is stated in the epidemiological bulletin number 21 of the Ministry of Health (MINSA). Up to May 2023, 41,956 suspected cases were registered, while on the same date in 2022, 15,555 suspected cases were reported.
In the first five months of this year, 737 positive patients with dengue were confirmed, in the same period of 2022 only 188 positive cases were recorded. «There is an increase of 292% compared to the previous year» details the report.
Capture of epidemiological report number 21 of MINSA
In just one week, from June 26 to July 2, 3,437 suspected dengue patients were reported, 75 of these were confirmed as positive. while the penultimate week of last month ended with 78 patients with the virus.
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Epidemiologist Leonel Arguello assures that dengue starts at home, so it is important to eliminate clean water containers or store it indoors, so as not to increase breeding sites. «The BTI that the Ministry of Health applies can work as long as they are not throwing away that water, that they always leave a little bit of water at the end because that is where the BTI is.».
«If a mosquito bites a person with the virus, a week later it is infecting everyone it bites. This can travel up to a block, so it is important to use a mosquito net and repellent».
The febrile cycle is from 2 to 7 days, highlights the specialist, in which days can occur without high temperatures. He clarifies that the alarm stage is when the fever ends. “The virus remains in the blood for 5 days (…) but we have to be vigilant when the fever disappears because there are warning signs that indicate that we have to seek medical help, intense pain, fatigue, vomiting that does not stop, drowsiness or numbness, nosebleeds, stools, urine or irritability”, highlights the expert.
Rest and hydration, added to the use of acetaminophen, is recommended in these cases. The use of aspirin should be avoided, warns the doctor. “If we know that this is an enemy that we have at home, every week we have to carry out an inspection going through the patios of our houses, identifying if there is any container, including the hole in a tree, any clean water that we find, there it will put their eggs.”
