Guatemalan president declares health advisory following dengue outbreak

GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina issued a national health advisory Sunday evening following an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever that has caused four deaths, the government said.

“We have reports of 1,186 possible cases of dengue nationwide, of which 256 are confirmed, 26 are hemorrhagic dengue, and four have caused death,” Pérez Molina said after meeting with members of his Cabinet on Sunday.

The latest fatality was reported Sunday in the department of Retalhuleu, south of the capital, when a patient refused a blood transfusion due to religious beliefs.

“Special brigades will work to remove stagnant water and every item in homes that facilitates the hatching of the Aedes aegypti mosquito,” Pérez Molina said.