Crisis: Puerto Rico Declares Public Health Emergency

Clear Facts

• Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency due to a significant rise in dengue fever cases.
• There have been 549 confirmed cases of the disease in 2024, marking a 140 percent increase in infections between January 1 and March 21 compared to the same period in 2023.
• Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness, can cause high fever, flu-like symptoms, serious bleeding, a sudden decrease in blood pressure, and even death, although fatalities are rare.

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is grappling with a worrying surge in dengue fever cases, prompting authorities to declare a state of public health emergency. This alarming development has been confirmed by the Puerto Rico Department of Health’s (PRDH) press release.

So far in 2024, the U.S. territory has registered 549 cases of the disease. This figure represents a staggering 140 percent increase in infections from January 1 to March 21, compared to the same timeframe in 2023. The capital city of San Juan has been particularly hard hit, recording the highest number of infections.

“The increase in dengue cases requires that all components of society join forces in order to prevent the contagion and spread of this virus, which is why we call for prevention,” tweeted Dr. Carlos Mellado López, Puerto Rico’s Secretary of the Department of Health.

Dr. López further noted that this surge is not unique to Puerto Rico. “It is important to note that the increase in cases has not only been reflected in Puerto Rico, but we have seen it throughout the region of the Americas,” he stated in the press release.

Dengue fever is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes. Its symptoms include high fever and flu-like symptoms, which can escalate to serious bleeding, a sudden decrease in blood pressure, and even death. However, fatalities from dengue fever are rare. According to data, fewer than 1% of Dengue fever patients in the U.S. died from the disease between 2010 and 2019, and there were no recorded deaths from 2020 to 2021. The disease is more prevalent in tropical and subtropical environments.

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