Deaths from dengue fever in Paraguay spike to 16 under strained health system

FILE PHOTO: A federal health worker takes part in fumigation to prevent the proliferation of mosquitos that transmit the Dengue fever at the San Lorenzo National School, in a low-income neighbourhood of San Lorenzo, Paraguay February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno

ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguay health officials said on Friday that deaths from dengue fever increased to 16 in the South American country's worst outbreak of the disease in the last decade, severely straining its health system.

There are also 89 deaths under review to determine if they were caused by dengue. The death toll indicates a sharp increase from the previous week, when the Public Health Ministry registered six deaths from dengue with 50 other deaths under review since the start of the year.