Chile records 135 cases of dengue, all imported

A worker from the Salvadoran Ministry of Health fumigates a house within the framework of the International Day Against Dengue, in the department of San Salvador, El Salvador, on August 25, 2022. [Xinhua]

Chile has so far registered 135 cases of dengue, all imported, chief of the Health Ministry's Department of Epidemiology Christian Garcia said on Monday.

"There is no dengue contagion within continental Chile and all these cases, which are the result of travel, have been detected thanks to the reinforcement of epidemiological surveillance measures," Garcia said at a press conference.

According to Garcia, the current outbreak in the Americas is "unprecedented," with a total of 4.1 million cases registered regionally in 2023, and as many as 3.5 million cases so far in 2024.

In 2023, 90 cases were recorded in Chile, and the number has risen to 135 cases so far this year, which "is a reflection of what is happening in the Americas," he said.

A health alert for dengue in seven regions has been in force since last year.

According to Health Minister Ximena Aguilera, dengue "can be asymptomatic, but people who have symptoms normally have fever and general malaise, with quite intense muscle pain."