Dengue fever in countries in the Americas - summary

Excluding Brazil, the following countries are reporting people infected with dengue fever:

Central America and Mexico

• Costa Rica - almost 5,000 infected people; most affected provinces Alajuela and Puntarenas
• El Salvador - more than 2,500 cases
• Honduras - almost 6,000 cases
• Mexico - approximately 15,000 cases

Caribbean

• Dominican Republic
• Jamaica

South America

• Colombia - approximately 30,000 infected people with 73 deaths
• Ecuador - more than 6,000 cases
• Peru - more than 8,000 infected people with 8 deaths
• Argentina - more than 27,000 cases with 52 deaths; most affected provinces Misiones, Jujuy, Mendoza

Advice

The risk of exposure to dengue fever is widespread in many countries, but it will vary from low to high from place to place within a country.

The absence of reports from other countries does not mean that there is no dengue fever transmission in those countries.

All travellers to areas where the dengue fever virus is active can reduce their risk of exposure by taking all necessary precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Many persons with dengue fever do not seek medical care and are not reported to health authorities. There may be many more cases in the community than the reports indicate.