Costa Rica’s Health Ministry on Monday approved the use of Dengvaxia, the first licensed dengue vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization.

The latest report from the Health Ministry released last week states that there are 107 confirmed cases of Zika virus, 67 of them in the Central Pacific canton of Garabito.

Researchers said Thursday they have found a way to fashion a cheap mosquito trap out of old tires that can collect thousands of eggs that may carry the Zika virus.

The number of confirmed Zika cases since the beginning of this year remains 12, eight of them contracted in the country, in Guanacaste.

The study was done in the United States, where dengue does not circulate in the population. This helped researchers identify the vaccine's effectiveness in people who had not been previously exposed to any strain of dengue.

The Labor Ministry will send most of the 300,000 public sector employees home for Easter Holy Week, Mar. 21-27, in order to promote domestic tourism.

The increase in cases of mosquito-borne diseases around the country prompted officials of the Public Health Ministry and the National Emergency Commission on Thursday evening to declare a state of emergency for 31 cantons at all seven provinces.

While the mosquito-borne Zika virus captures headlines, dengue and chikungunya cases in Costa Rica have both quietly jumped more than 600 percent in 2016 compared to the same period last year.

It fits easily onto a single fingernail, and yet has tormented armies and obliterated the population of entire cities.