MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur urgent health ministers meeting to address dengue, measles and coronavirus threat

One of the victims of the dengue outbreak is Paraguay's First Lady, Silvana Lopez Moreita, following on her husband, president Mario Abdo Benítez convalescence in January

Mercosur health ministers will be holding an urgent meeting this week in Paraguay to address the spread of dengue, the outbreak of measles and the possible arrival of the China coronavirus to the region.

Paraguay currently holds the Mercosur rotating chair and the sanitary meeting has been convened given the mosquito transmitted “dengue epidemics situation, which despite all the government and community efforts to contain it and mitigate its impact, it still is a major problem in the region”, said the Paraguayan health ministry release ahead of the meeting with representatives from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

The country which has most suffered the dengue outbreak is Paraguay with so far this year 16 deaths confirmed, another 69 under investigation while the number of contagions adds up to 4.200 according to the country's health authorities.

It is considered the most serious outbreak in the country of the epidemic transmitted by the aedes aegypti mosquito with its epicenter in the capital Asunción and its metropolitan area of influence.

One of the victims of the outbreak is the First Lady, Silvana Lopez Moreita, following on her husband, president Mario Abdo Benítez convalescence in January.

The Mercosur agenda also include measles vaccination since there has been a surge of cases in all the region, which coincides with outbreaks in the Western Pacific and in Europe. “This commits us to keep the highest possible degree of immunity in the population and establish efficient vigilance systems to avoid endemic transmission”

As to the coronavirus, Mercosur countries are following the World Health Organization instructions: “contention measures and active vigilance must be in place to prevent the propagation of the new virus”