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.
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.
The Pacific provinces of Guanacaste and Puntarenas account for 70 percent of cases of dengue in Costa Rica so far this year, the Public Health Ministry reported. The number of cases of chikungunya in Costa Rica is increasing, the same report noted.
Over the weekend, the Health Ministry confirmed the first local case of the chikungunya virus in the Pacific town of Parrita, Costa Rica. This marks the first time the mosquito-borne virus has been locally transmitted in Costa Rica, according to Dr. Daniel Salas with the ministry’s health surveillance department.
RIO DE JANEIRO – Ten thousand mosquitoes immunized against dengue fever have been released in Brazil as part of an innovative attempt to curb the spread of the tropical viral sickness, biologists said Thursday.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – At least 16,000 patient have contracted the chikungunya virus in El Salvador, prompting health officials in the Central American country to step up the fight Monday to eliminate disease-carrying mosquitoes.
