Dengue Crisis Grips Buenos Aires

Workers fumigate against dengue-promoting mosquitoes in Buenos Aires amidst a wave of infection cases and a shortage of repellent, prompting citizens to craft their own homemade alternatives.

Insect repellent has become a hot commodity in Argentina, which is besieged by dengue-carrying mosquitoes and facing shortages that have sparked supermarket brawls, rations and homemade concoctions.

The country is one of the worst hit by an outbreak of dengue sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean, attributed to a muggy summer that has been intensified by the El Nino climate phenomenon.

The outbreak in the middle of an economic crisis, in a country with strict importation controls, has led to a severe shortage of mosquito repellents.

Some businesses have opened dedicated WhatsApp channels to tell clients when they get some in. Others impose rations of three products per person.

With 129 deaths so far this year, Argentina has seen a ten-fold increase compared to the same period last year, according to official figures.

Brazil has seen an 81 percent increase in cases, the biggest in the region, according to the Pan American Health Organization, which has recorded 3.5 million cases -- triple what was seen in 2023.

"Probably this will be the worst dengue season (in the region)," said Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization.

After facing criticism from the opposition for its "absence" amid the crisis, Libertarian President Javier Milei's government this week removed importation taxes on mosquito repellents.

In the meantime, sprays and creams are selling for around $40 apiece, rather than the usual $5, a painful sum for a population already dealing with annual inflation of 276 percent.