As an El Nio weather phenomenon brings torrential rains and insects, Peru’s biggest dengue outbreak on record might get worse, pushing the death toll this year above 200 with over 130,000 cases reported, the health ministry warned on Thursday.

1. Dengue Outbreak in Peru: Cases Reach
200k, 200 Dead, the Situation Worsened
by El Niño rains
As an El Nio weather phenomenon brings torrential rains and insects, Peru’s biggest dengue
outbreak on record might get worse, pushing the death toll this year above 200 with over
130,000 cases reported, the health ministry warned on Thursday. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
transmit the tropical disease dengue fever, which can result in a high fever, headache, vomiting,
discomfort in the muscles and joints, and occasionally even death.
El Nio, a natural climate phenomenon, has been named as one of the major causes of the rise in
cases by the nation’s health officials. El Nio is a periodic warming of the oceans and weather
that intensifies tropical cyclones in the Pacific, increasing rainfall and the risk of flooding in the
area. Because of the buildup of water in the cities, a surge in rainfall causes mosquito
populations to multiply in large numbers.
In an effort to stop reproduction, Peruvian health officials forbid citizens from keeping still
water in open containers. Dengue kills, according to a statement made on Tuesday by Health
Minister Rosa Gutiérrez. Therefore, please assist me in getting rid of mosquito breeding
grounds.

2. Record Dengue Fever outbreak in Peru as climate change helps mosquitoes
thrive
El Nio has officially begun, according to a statement made on June 8 by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States. The colder La Nia pattern has
characterised the last three years. According to scientists, this year is particularly concerning.
The world experienced the warmest year on record in 2016, the year of the final powerful El
Nio.
Michelle L’Heureux, a meteorologist at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centre, said, “We’re in
uncharted terrain. On Thursday, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte issued a proclamation
establishing a two-month “state of emergency” in 18 of the nation’s 24 regions in order to
facilitate prompt government action in response to the “imminent danger from heavy rainfall”
this year and the following year.According to Gutiérrez, the number is the highest since 2017,
when there were 89 fatalities and 68,290 cases.
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