Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update (As of 24 July 2023)

EL SALVADOR: EARTHQUAKE

KEY FIGURES

+490,000 PEOPLE EXPOSED TO STRONG SHAKING FROM EARTHQUAKE IN EL SALVADOR

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Usulután department in south-eastern El Salvador on 18 July at 6:22 pm, with a depth of 51km. According to USGS PAGER, up to 446,000 people were exposed to strong shaking and 1.5 million people experienced moderate shaking across El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. Authorities recorded subsequent aftershocks of magnitude 3.9 and 3.7 magnitudes both near the centre of the original quake. According to Civil Protection, the earthquake incurred minor damage in homes in Usulután, cracks in floors and walls in San Juan de Dios Hospital in San Miguel and rockslides on a highway and in other areas. The Ministry of Environment quickly ruled out a tsunami threat.

MEXICO: IRREGULAR MIGRATION

KEY FIGURES

+2.42 million MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT MEXICO-US BORDER IN PAST 12 MONTHS

In the 12 months from June 2022 - June 2023, US Customs and Border Protection recorded 2.42 million migrant encounters at their southern border with Mexico, an increase of 2.5 per cent compared to the 2.36 million in July 2021 to June 2022. Despite this overall increase, monthly encounters have declined in four out of the first six months of 2023, with June 2023 in particular showing a 30.1 per cent decrease compared to May 2023. Despite this decrease, there is a report of a group of about one thousand men, women, children and adolescents, mostly Venezuelans, who have crossed from Guatemala into Mexico in hopes of reaching the US border.

LATIN AMERICA: DENGUE OUTBREAKS

KEY FIGURES

+3 million SUSPECTED AND CONFIRMED CASES OF DENGUE IN THE REGION SO FAR IN 2023

Since the beginning of 2023, close to 3 million suspected and confirmed cases of dengue have been reported in the America’s region, surpassing the 2.8 million cases registered for the entirety of 2022. There have also been at least 1,302 deaths. To date, the highest reported numbers of dengue in 2023 are in Brazil (2.3 million cases), Peru (188,326 cases) and Bolivia (133,779 cases). Due to the high rates of dengue in Peru, the Ministry of Health declared a health emergency 20 out of 25 regions in the country. The recorded cases are above the average number of cases in the past five years and beyond historical areas of transmission. While most cases of dengue are considered mild, reinfection increases the risk of severe dengue which can lead to respiratory distress, severe bleeding, organ impairment and death.
Higher transmission rates are anticipated in the following months due to favourable weather conditions in the second half of the year in Central America and the northern hemisphere. WHO is providing support across the region in preparedness and response to potential outbreaks, including through capacity building, trainings, surveillance and the deployment of experts.