Peru registers 80,000 cases of dengue fever in the worst epidemic in its history

Published at: 28/10/2026 07:11 PM

Peru is going through the worst dengue pandemic in its history, with 80,000 infections registered so far this year, a figure far higher than in 2025, which tends to be aggravated by the rains of the El Niño phenomenon, due to the heat and drowning caused by rainfall.

Specialist Omar Neyra explained that dengue fever is present in Lima with all four serotypes, which increases the risk of cases of hemorrhagic dengue, a deadly form of the disease.

The capital, with 10 million inhabitants, has reported the presence of the virus in all its districts, the Última Noticias website reported.

He noted that the rains, heat and droughts generated by the El Niño phenomenon create a “perfect storm” for the proliferation of the transmitting mosquito. The stagnation of water favors the mass reproduction of mosquitoes in a matter of days.

Currently, the Peruvian nation does not have enough vaccines against dengue to protect the population. The Ministry of Health only has doses for children and young people aged 5 to 20, because there is only one company in the world that produces this biological product.

Neyra stressed that the key is to eliminate stagnant water in vases and containers, allowing fumigation brigades to access homes, despite the fear generated by crime.

The specialist warned that the increase in dengue fever is not the only collateral damage caused by the climate phenomenon. Floods and collapsed drains can become sources of gastrointestinal diseases and even trigger a cholera epidemic.