The government of Peru has announced a state of health emergency in response to the surging occurrences of dengue fever in the nation of South America.

The Health Minister, Cesar Vasquez, announced on Monday that there have been over 31,000 reported instances of dengue in the first 8 weeks of 2024, resulting in 32 fatalities.

Peru’s emergency coverage will include 20 out of the total 25 regions, as stated by Vasquez.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness that is passed to humans from a mosquito bite. Symptoms of dengue include fevers, severe headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and body aches.

Since 2023, Peru has been having abnormally warm weather and intense rainfall. This is caused by the El Nino phenomenon, which has elevated ocean temperatures near the country’s shores and led to an increase in mosquito populations.

The Associated Press and Reuters provided a portion of the information in this report.