Honduras announces a health crisis during Central America's height of dengue fever season.
The government has requested health authorities to implement all necessary steps, including taking preventative measures and determining funds to address the outbreak.
The Honduran Ministry of Health has announced 23,037 suspected instances of dengue within the first twenty weeks of this year. This places Honduras among the highest numbers in the Americas, as reported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The region has already acknowledged more than 8.65 million cases in the initial five months of 2024 - nearly double the amount of 4.5 million cases documented in the entirety of 2023, which was a record at the time.
The southern cone of the Americas has been responsible for most of the reported instances so far, with Brazil registering a staggering 7.2 million cases alone. However, the southern region is currently observing a substantial decline in infections. Central America and the Caribbean, on the other hand, are on the verge of reaching their peak dengue seasons, according to PAHO.
"Honduras has stepped into the epidemic zone due to the surge of cases in all parts of the nation, as well as the rising number of hospital admissions from the disease," the Honduran Ministry of Health declared on Friday.
Sign up for CNN Health's newsletter
Register here to receive The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the experts at CNN Health.
Honduras currently ranks second in terms of the highest number of cases in the Central American Isthmus and Mexico Subregion, surpassed only by Mexico, which has identified more than 69,000.
PAHO and the World Health Organization urge countries in these areas to take the required actions to prepare for the increasing instances of dengue, such as organizing health services, ensuring proper clinical management, preventing complications, and preventing the saturation of specialized health care services.
Dengue is a viral infection carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits other viruses including yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It leads to flu-like symptoms and can potentially lead to death in severe cases.
Read also:
The Honduran Ministry of Health has identified 23,037 suspected cases of dengue within the first twenty weeks of this year, necessitating urgent action. To address the outbreak, the government has requested health authorities to allocate resources and implement preventative measures.
