MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia: dengue death toll increases; malaria outbreak

The number of deaths from hemorrhagic dengue so far this year in Bolivia has increased to 13, the government reported while admitting that an outbreak of malaria has been detected in three provinces.

National epidemiology director Juan Carlos Arraya told the media that 13 people have now died from hemorrhagic dengue, the most virulent form of the disease, while almost 22,000 cases of ordinary dengue fever have been detected, between possible and confirmed. Dengue, an infectious disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes high fevers, headaches, vomiting and skin rashes, and can be deadly in its hemorrhagic form, which occurs when a person is infected by the insect for the second time. Bolivia is suffering its biggest epidemic of the disease in a decade and has been asking for international aid. The funds needed are estimated in 2 million US dollars and 500 fumigators to deal with the health emergency. Arraya also described as "under control" the malaria outbreak detected in the eastern provinces of Beni, Pando and Tarija, regions where, according to the Bolivian media, there are currently over 300 cases. "This is within expected boundaries. In fact malaria has been decreasing systematically over the last three years," the official said. Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the female Anofeles mosquitoes, which according to data from the World Health Organization causes more than a million deaths per year worldwide, 80% of them children. Mosquito transmitted diseases are quite common in tropical countries, particularly in the rainy season when stagnant water becomes an ideal incubator for the infectious larvae. Neighbouring Paraguay has also reported an outbreak of dengue, as well as in some areas of Southern Brazil. The latest to join the group has been the Argentine province of Salta, where mudslides because of heavy rainfall have left hundreds homeless and living in precarious situation, with limited drinking water and no sewage systems.