MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

More autochthonous dengue cases reported in the capital Buenos Aires

Argentine sanitary officials confirmed Monday five new cases of autochthonous dengue in the capital Buenos Aires and another in the province of Buenos Aires while the official figures from the federal ministry of Public Health indicate that there are 23.470 confirmed infections from the mosquito transmitted disease.

According to Ministry sources with the new reported cases the total number of confirmed autochthonous infections in metropolitan Buenos Aires is 12 and in the province of Buenos Aires, 14. Meanwhile to the north of Argentina, in the impoverished province of Chaco, the official figure is 10.200 cases so far this year. However Governor Jorge Capitanich said the “epidemics has peaked and is sliding downwards”.

The Epidemiology Office from the province of Buenos Aires reported that the new case was located in the country of Quilmes to the south of the capital. Furthermore there are 86 “imported” cases (from other provinces) while the number of “doubtful” last Friday at 545.

Another Northern Province La Rioja reported that “according to the epidemiologic survey, the dengue peak occurred April 15th, but has seen since begun descending”, said Gustavo Graselli, head of the provincial Health Ministry. Graselli confirmed 432 cases in La Rioja since the beginning of 2009, most of them in the provincial capital.

The dengue virus is transmitted by the Aedes Aegyptus mosquito and proliferates in rainy seasons, with larvae breeding in stagnant contaminated water. However the most common strain is not deadly expect for the so called vulnerable population, babies and elderly.

A relatively common tropical disease it is endemic in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and some northern parts of Argentina. This year the epidemic has been particularly severe in Bolivia (bordering with north Argentina) with over 80.000 cases reported. Paraguay this season has also suffered but is far less intense than a year ago.

Argentine epidemiologists have warned that the combination of poor sanitary conditions plus climate change will most probably turn dengue into an endemic epidemic, even in the capital Buenos Aires and its metropolitan area.