Dengue Deaths Prompt Honduras Health Officials To Declare State Of Emergency

Published December 23, 2016

(AP)

A recent outbreak of dengue fever in Honduras has prompted the Central American country to declare a state of emergency.

At least 16 people have died and more than 12,000 have fallen ill from the mosquito-borne disease.

Health Minister Salvador Pineda said Tuesday's decree means the government is making it a priority to prevent and control the disease and fight the mosquitoes that spread it.

Pineda says more than half of Honduras' municipalities have registered dengue fever cases.

Authorities say two Hondurans died last year from the disease and there were no deaths registered in 2011. But the country's worst dengue fever outbreak in recent years was in 2010, when 83 people died and more than 66,000 had the illness.

Dengue causes high fever, joint pains and nausea. In severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, liver enlargement, circulatory shutdown and death.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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