International
Dengue epidemic in Latin America reaches alarming figures in the first quarter of 2024

The dengue epidemic in South America has reached alarming figures so far in 2024, with a notable increase in cases and deaths compared to the previous year, especially in Brazil, a country that has surpassed its own annual historical record of dengue infections, to date more than two million cases and 715 deaths.
The situation is especially worrying in Brasilia, with 5,774 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Authorities estimate that the number could amount to 4.2 million by the end of the year and have begun to offer vaccination despite the shortage of doses.
In Argentina, the Ministry of Health reported 151,310 cases of dengue, 134,202 of them registered this year, with an incidence of 321 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and 106 deaths, 96 of which occurred in 2024.
In addition, nineteen of the 24 territorial divisions have reported the presence of the virus, removing only Patagonian regions due to unfavorable weather conditions for mosquitoes.
The Government of Javier Milei has opted for strategies that do not include mass vaccination, saying that there is a lack of evidence about the effectiveness of vaccines in current outbreaks.
For its part, Uruguay reached 158 cases of dengue on Monday (62 native and 96 imported) after adding 10 new cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Public Health said in its daily report, in which it indicated that the majority of imports are from people who traveled to Argentina and Brazil.
On the other hand, Paraguay also reports worrying figures.
Since September 2023, the beginning of the most recent outbreak, until the second week of March 2024, the country has suffered 74 deaths due to dengue, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare reported.
Data from the General Directorate of Health Surveillance indicate that 35% of the deceased were over 60 years of age.
Peru is also experiencing an increase with 79,741 cases reported so far in 2024, an increase of 262% compared to the same period of the previous year.
82 deaths have been reported, a considerable jump from the 29th of the corresponding period in 2023.
The incidence of the disease is 233.77 per 100,000 inhabitants, with La Libertad being the most affected region.
In Colombia, the National Institute of Health has registered 55,340 cases, with 40.2% showing signs of alarm and 1% of serious cases. As of March 3, 94 probable deaths have been reported, with 10 confirmed cases and 69 under study.
The incidence of dengue at the end of February 2024 was 154.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants at risk, in stark contrast to the 48.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants reported in the same period of the previous year.
As so last in 2023, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned of the increase in dengue cases in the Americas. Last year the figure was 4.5 million cases.
Dengue, whose main vector of transmission in almost the entire American continent is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, affects people of all ages, and according to the World Health Organization, behind the expansion of the epidemic is the climate phenomenon of El Niño, as evidenced by the fact that it is growing in all parts of the world, except in Europe, according to the director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom.
The increase in dengue cases in Latin America, according to experts, is also due to the need for more effective preventive and control actions, as well as constant epidemiological surveillance to combat the progression of the disease.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
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