Fears of dengue outbreak in Puerto Rico

Health authorities in Puerto Rico say they are on a red alert for a possible dengue fever epidemic.



The US Centre for Disease Control has reported that the country is experiencing an increase in dengue cases.



Officials cite the unusual combination of high temperatures and rainfall in January, which resulted in mass reproduction of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the disease.



Marta Patricia Cano, Director of the Dengue Prevention Programme in the country’s Department of Health, says the health workers are taking preventative measures.



She says dengue cases in Puerto Rico are at their highest between July and November, the local rainy season.