MONTEVIDEO, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Paraguay's ministry of public health issued a health alert on dengue Friday following two more deaths due to the disease.
"We declare an alert...to fight against this disease," said the health minister, Carlos Morinigo, in a meeting with the heads of medical institutions in Asuncion.
Morinigo called on the population to assist in the destruction of breeding grounds of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. He also expressed concern about the "larval infestation" that can facilitate the transmission and propagation of dengue.
The increase in dengue cases was found to be due to outbreaks in neighborhoods near Asuncion and the nearby Central department, where 83 percent of cases have been detected.
The countries' latest data show five confirmed deaths and 1,167 confirmed cases of dengue by Feb. 10.
In 2017, Paraguay saw no deaths despite registering 616 cases. The last major outbreak in the country killed 70 people in 2012 and 252 people in 2013.
