The most affected countries in the region are Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. | Photo: The Third

Buenos Aires, April 29 (RHC)-- The Argentinian Ministry of Health reported this Sunday that the number of deaths from dengue has increased to 280, with the death of 42 people during the last week.

The health portfolio reported that the total number of cases recorded, from week 31 of 2023 to week 16 of 2024, amounts to 396,484, which implies an increase of 63,400 cases in relation to the previous week's report.

The Ministry's report announced that of the total cases, 91 percent are indigenous, 7 percent are under investigation and 2 percent are imported.  Of all the patients, 379,341 correspond to the year 2024, with 871 classified as serious.

According to the document, the peak of the epidemic curve at the national level occurred in mid-March of this year with 55,476 cases, since in the following three weeks differences of 8, 6 and 44 percent lower than the peak number are recorded.

The report notes that 54 percent of the deceased are women and the average age is around 49 years.  “The deceased cases were recorded in all age groups, with the highest mortality rate in those over 80 years of age, followed by those between 70 and 79 years old, from 60 to 69 and from 50 to 59, while the largest number of cases occurred in people between 30 and 79 years old,” the report stated.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the year 2023 was the year with the highest historical report of dengue cases in America, with more than 4.1 million new infections.

The situation has worsened in the current year.  During the first three months, a total of 4,257,154 suspected cases were reported, which represents an increase of 304 percent compared to the same period in 2023 and 495 percent in the last five years.