2023-04-16 21:15:00
Dengue: the government confirms that the strain circulating in the country is “the worst of all”
From the Ministry of Health they assure that the high number of deaths is due to the aggressiveness of the type of mosquito.
According to the latest data from the weekly Epidemiological Bulletin of the National Ministry of Health, the dengue epidemic in Argentina is becoming more aggressive, has a higher mortality rate and is growing faster than previous ones. So far, more than 41,000 cases of dengue throughout the country, of which 73% correspond to serotype 2, which is the most harmful strain and capable of producing severe dengue fever, even in a first infection.
This is due to the fact that DENV-2 is predominant for the first time in Argentina -as revealed by this latest Epidemiological Bulletin-, which increases the risk of contagion.
The dengue virus can have up to four serotypes and this year, according to the Ministry of Health, in Argentina they circulate 1 and 2. Unlike previous epidemics, the bad news is that this is the first time that DENV-2 is predominantso the damage from the disease is obviously higher.
This is also related to the fact that people who have contracted dengue in the past are more susceptible in the case of a second infection. In 2016 and 2020 DEN-1 predominated. Now, the protagonist is the DEN-2. However, beyond this risk-enhancing element, it is key the virulence of the strain in action today, as with the Covid was the lethality of the variant on duty.
The infectologist Griselda Berberian, in a paper published in the Archivos Argentinos de Pediatría magazine, describes the behavior of serotypes of dengue in the latest epidemics in the country.
According to Berberian, the virulence of the strain in action today is the main cause of the aggressiveness of the epidemic. In addition, the circulation of serotype 2 contributes to a greater spread of the virus, compared to the 2016 and 2020 epidemics, in which DEN-1 predominated.
The truth is that up to now, the Epidemic of dengue it has left a balance of 35 deaths in the country, the last two being in the City of Buenos Aires. Of the total deaths, 76% correspond to the serotype DENV-2. Provincial reports indicate that Salta is the province with the highest number of deaths (10), followed by Tucumán (9) and Santa Fe (5), while the rest of the affected provinces have a total of 11 deaths.
The spread of the virus is related to the susceptibility of the population that has already contracted dengue in the past, being more prone to a second infection. Therefore, it is important that the population take preventive measures, such as the use of repellent, the elimination of mosquito breeding sites and immediate medical consultation in case of presenting symptoms of dengue.
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