A total of 303 cases of dengue fever have been detected in Chiapas, with no deaths reported, reported Miguel Angel Palafox Palacios, deputy director of Preventive Programs for the state Ministry of Health.
“Compared to last year, we have a significant reduction of almost 80 percent in probable cases and 50 percent in confirmed cases,” he added in an interview with reporters.
“We have a total of 330 confirmed cases to date; 90 percent are non-serious, eight percent are dengue with warning signs, and one percent are severe dengue, but we have not had any deaths,” he reiterated.
He stated that to date “more than 150,000 tons of junk have been collected, mainly in Tapachula and Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Unfortunately, people continue to produce junk,” which is used as breeding grounds.
He noted that the current upsurge in dengue cases has occurred in the municipality of Tapachula, on the state’s coast, “which historically has had the highest number of cases, but now they have decreased by 75 percent compared to last year.”
He added that in that district bordering Guatemala, 111 confirmed cases have been reported to date, while in Tuxtla Gutiérrez there are 60. “Those two municipalities account for 50 percent of all cases” in the state.
The official commented that nationally, Chiapas ranks sixth in the number of dengue cases, while “we are in eleventh place in rates. We used to be among the top, but now we are being overtaken by the western states, which are experiencing a significant upswing.”
Source: jornada
