Honduras declares state of emergency due to dengue fever

The Honduran government declared a state of emergency Tuesday due to the spread of dengue fever, which has killed 16 people this year and infected more than 12,000, local media reported. Dengue has affected more than half of all the municipalities in Honduras. Out of the 12,135 reported cases, 1,839 are suspected to be of the fatal hemorrhagic variety, which can lead to shock and internal bleeding. Minister of Health Salvador Pineda said five cities, including the capital of Tegucigalpa and its surrounding central district, had the largest number of Dengue cases. Pineda declared a national priority to control mosquitoes and prevent them from transmitting dengue. He said more than 4 million U.S. dollars were needed to control the nationwide epidemic effectively and that his ministry would seek coordinated efforts from other government institutions. Honduras is no stranger to dengue outbreaks. In 2009, a dozen of people were killed by hemorrhagic dengue, with more than 66,700 people infected. In 2010, the disease killed 83 people.