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What happened, where and when?
Dengue continues to be the arbovirus with the highest number of reported cases in the Americas region, with outbreaks occurring on a cyclical basis every 3 to 5 years. During the year 2024 between epidemiological weeks (SE, for its acronym in Spanish) 1 and 25 of 2024, 10,363,448 suspected cases of dengue have been reported in the region. The cumulative incidence is 1,098 cases per 100,000 population.
This figure represents an increase of 232% compared to the same period in 2023 and 420% compared to the average of the last 5 years. In addition, 140 cases of severe dengue fever have been reported, of which 102 have resulted in deaths.
On 16 February 2024, in view of the exponential increase in dengue cases observed in the first weeks of the year in several countries of the Region of the Americas, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) made an urgent appeal to Member States. The organization emphasized the need to intensify vector control measures and to maintain active surveillance, ensuring early diagnosis and timely treatment of cases.
On 7 March 2024, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS, for its acronym in Spanish) of Guatemala, through the Directorate of Epidemiology and Risk Management, issued an epidemiological alert for dengue. This alert was established to reinforce dengue control and prevention plans, based on data accumulated up to epidemiological week 7, which ended on 17 February. As of that date, a total of 6,760 cases of dengue fever had been recorded, of which 31 were severe cases resulting in 3 deaths. The decision to issue this alert was motivated by the beginning of the high dengue transmission season in the country. As part of this measure, specific epidemiological surveillance actions were reinforced, including standardized protocols for the detection, notification, and registration of cases in hospitals and health areas.
Given the increase of dengue cases in the country, the MSPAS declared a National Health Emergency on 30 April, 2024, through Ministerial Agreement Number 152-2024, published in the Official Gazette of Central America. The agreement underscores the responsibility of health sector institutions to carry out, within their competencies, epidemiological surveillance, outbreak investigation and entomological surveillance. These actions are fundamental for the implementation of integrated management strategies for vector control, seeking to mitigate the spread of dengue.
On 13 May 2024, the vector-borne disease control program of the health area of the department of Quetzaltenango requested, through a letter, direct support to the Guatemalan Red Cross. It mainly requested collaboration to implement health promotion actions, abatization, fogging and cleaning of mosquito breeding sites. Similarly, on 14 May 2024, the endemic disease control program of the health area of the department of Suchitepéquez requested, also through a letter, the support of the Guatemalan Red Cross to develop dengue prevention and mitigation actions. These requests have been issued due to the lack of personnel and resources necessary to develop the actions framed in the national dengue emergency.
On 27 June, at a meeting of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the national level, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS) verbally requested the National Society to replace the intervention in the department of Suchitepequez with that of Zacapa. This request was based on the significant increase of dengue cases in Zacapa and a considerable decrease in Suchitepequez. The request was made in response to evidence of the most affected areas and the shortage of personnel and resources needed by SPAS to address the national dengue emergency.
Up to the 34th epidemiological week, 80,234 cases of dengue fever have been reported in the country. According to the same report, 14 of the 29 Departmental Directorates of Integrated Health Services Networks (DDRISS) reported an incidence of dengue that exceeds the national average. Among the most affected departments are Jutiapa, Santa Rosa, Zacapa, El Progreso, Baja Verapaz, Sacatepéquez, Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu, Jalapa, Escuintla, Suchitepéquez, Chiquimula, and the northwestern and northeastern areas of Guatemala. Notably, the DDRISS of Zacapa, Suchitepéquez and Jutiapa have registered the highest incidence of dengue with alarm signs.
In recent inter-institutional meetings held in August, MSPAS has reiterated its call and has requested the support of both local and national organizations present in the Guatemalan territory to continue and intensify efforts in the fight against dengue.