Peru is reeling from record case counts of dengue fever. What’s driving the outbreak?

Peru is experiencing a record-breaking dengue outbreak that has infected nearly 150,000 people and killed 248.

Outbreak in detail: The unprecedented outbreak is attributed to unusually warm temperatures and rainy conditions on Peru’s desert coast, allowing the Aedes aegypti mosquito to breed in large numbers.
* The outbreak is part of a global trend of increased dengue cases, with the World Health Organization reporting cases rising from 505,430 in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019.
* A vaccine is in development but has not yet been approved in Peru.
* Another vaccine has shown problematic results, increasing the risk of severe dengue in people who were not previously infected.

Government response: Critics argue the Peruvian government’s handling of the epidemic has been lacking in preparedness, with an under-resourced public health care system and inadequate staffing, infrastructure, and medicines.
* Former Health Minister Rosa Gutiérrez, who resigned on June 16, faced criticism for appearing to downplay the severity of the outbreak and using outdated statistics.
* Scientists are hesitant to blame climate change directly for the outbreak, but the unusual weather in Peru, combined with the El Niño effect, has created favorable conditions for mosquito breeding and disease spread.

View original article on NPR

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