Peru: Dengue and yellow fever in Ucayali

Event

The Peruvian health authorities declared a 90-day state of emergency on March 29 for the Ucayali region due to outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, notably dengue fever and yellow fever. There are fears that yellow fever, currently circulating in rural areas, could spread to cities. Anti-mosquito efforts (fumigation, property inspections, destruction of potential breeding sites) are underway. 

Context

Symptoms of dengue fever include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and rashes. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, the enlargement of the liver, and hemorrhaging.

Symptoms of yellow fever - a mosquito-borne disease - generally appear within three to six days following infection and include fever, chills, muscle and back pain, vomiting, headaches, and, in more serious cases, hemorrhaging and organ failure. A vaccine, which provides lifelong immunity, is available and should be administered ten days ahead of travel to an affected region to be fully effective.

Advice

Individuals in Ucayali, and Peru more generally, are advised to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites - e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping under mosquito-netting or in an air conditioned room - and to eliminate possible mosquito breeding grounds (small pockets of fresh water, such as rain water that has collected in cans, bottles, tires, flower pots, clogged gutters, etc.).