Latin America experiences worst dengue fever outbreak on record

DW

Latin America is experiencing its worst outbreak on record of dengue fever – a virus that has infected over 1.4 million people in the region this year. Dengue is spread by mosquitos, hitting almost every country in central and South America. About one in four people who are infected will develop illness, and a small proportion of those will contract severe sickness, which can lead to death. The recorded cases this year are almost three times bigger than last year. Experts say climate change is at least partly to blame, with rising temperatures allowing mosquitos to survive the winter in larger numbers. Our report takes us to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where health workers have an uphill battle trying to eliminate the mosquitos’ breeding grounds.