NewsDesk @bactiman63

From the beginning of the chikungunya outbreak in Paraguay in October 2022 to date , 77,790 cases of confirmed and probable chikungunya have been registered in the country, according to the report of the General Directorate of Health Surveillance. All regions of the country register cases of chikungunya.

Aedes aegypti/CDC

In the last three weeks, 5,836 cases of chikungunya were identified in the country, mostly concentrated in Central (25%), Asunción (23%) and Alto Paraná (10%).

In Central, the districts with the highest number of cases are: Luque, San Lorenzo, Lambaré, Fernando de la Mora, Itauguá, Itá and Capiatá. In Asunción, the most affected neighborhoods are Sajonia, Obrero and the San Pablo neighborhood.

58% of chikungunya cases correspond to the female sex. The age group most affected by the epidemic is observed in the group from 0 to 4 years, with 9%, followed by the group from 30 to 34 and 25 to 29 years, with 8% for each one. 17% of the cases correspond to people over 65 years of age.

An expansion of the epidemic is observed outside the metropolitan area, with increases in notifications in the last 3 weeks, mainly in Guairá, Amambay, San Pedro, Paraguarí, and Caaguazú. There are also increases in the Western Region, mainly in Boquerón and Presidente Hayes.

Regarding dengue, in the last three weeks 606 cases have been recorded in the national territory. The highest percentage of cases is concentrated in the departments of Central, Itapúa, Boquerón and Amambay, as well as in the country’s capital.

The circulating serotypes are DEN 1 and DEN 2. Cocirculation of both serotypes is verified in ten regions: Central, Boquerón, Cordillera, Concepción, Asunción, San Pedro, Guairá, Canindeyú, Pte. Hayes and Ñeembucú.

A gradual decrease in bed occupancy due to chikungunya is observed. In the last week, 359 hospitalized for arbovirosis were recorded, of these, 103 correspond to new admissions (93 in the ward and 10 in the intensive care unit).

Of the total hospitalized, 138 were cases of chikungunya and 11 cases of dengue.

131 accumulated deaths due chikungunya have been reported; of which 64% come from the Central department. 130 correspond to this year and one in 2022.

78% of the deceased had some risk factor or comorbidity.

The overall case fatality rate is 0.17. The highest mortality rates are observed in children under 1 year of age and in those over 80 years of age.

To date, no cases of deaths confirmed by dengue or Zika have been recorded.