Peru on Thursday declared a “health emergency” in 13 departments within the nation’s north, centre and southeast on account of an outbreak of dengue.

The emergency would stay in place for 90 days, in accordance with an official discover, after the well being ministry recorded greater than 11,500 instances and 16 deaths as a result of illness to this point in 2023.

This represented a “considerable increase” of 72 p.c from the identical interval in 2022.

Last 12 months, the nation had greater than 72,800 dengue instances and 84 deaths.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical illness that may provoke a excessive fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint ache, and generally dying.

Earlier this month, neighbour Bolivia additionally declared a well being alert with a cumulative variety of greater than 6,800 instances and 26 deaths.