The Bolivian government announced, Wednesday, that the dengue fever epidemic, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, has killed 26 people since the beginning of the year, while the high number of infections in recent days in the Santa Cruz region (east) has caused overcrowding in hospitals.
The Al-Rai daily quoting AFP said the Bolivian Ministry of Health in a statement said “The total number of dengue fever cases in Bolivia has reached 6,845, and the total number of deaths is 26.”
The ministry added that the province of Santa Cruz, the most populous and richest in the country, recorded the “highest number of injured”, amounting to 5,225 injuries.
Dengue fever infections have started to increase in the province over the past few days, causing overcrowding in hospitals. “We are in a critical situation,” said Milka Caceres, emergency director at Mario Ortiz Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz.
Between Monday and Tuesday, parents separately reported that their three children, aged between one and five months, died of symptoms of dengue fever without being able to receive care due to overcrowded hospitals.
Last Sunday, the authorities conducted a large-scale fumigation operation to limit the spread of the disease in Santa Cruz, which has a population of 1.9 million.
In 2022, Bolivia recorded 4,362 confirmed cases of dengue fever and ten deaths.
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