Puerto Rico’s well being secretary on Monday declared an epidemic in response to a regarding surge in dengue fever circumstances throughout the nation.
With a inhabitants of three.2 million, Puerto Rico has already documented 549 circumstances of dengue fever this yr.
This determine starkly contrasts with the whole thing of final yr’s depend, which tallied at 1,293 circumstances. Many of the circumstances have been reported within the capital of San Juan.
Hospitalizations surge
The gravity of the scenario turns into much more obvious with over 340 people requiring hospitalization because of the mosquito-borne virus, as reported by the island’s well being division.
This isn’t Puerto Rico’s first encounter with a dengue epidemic. The final such declaration occurred in 2012.
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International perspective
Zooming out, the worldwide context reveals a broader concern. Final yr, over 5 million circumstances of dengue had been reported worldwide, with a major 80 per cent focus within the Western Hemisphere, based on information from the World Well being Group (WHO).
This yr, the area has already registered roughly three million circumstances. Well being officers attribute this surge to climatic elements, emphasizing the position of elevated rainfall, humidity, and warmth—signs of local weather change—in fostering optimum circumstances for the proliferation of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Signs and severity
Dengue fever is characterised by a variety of debilitating signs, together with extreme complications, fever, vomiting, and a particular rash.
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Whereas many contaminated people might stay asymptomatic, extreme circumstances can progress to probably deadly problems, comparable to plasma leakage.
