Dengue surge in Argentina which lead to repellent shortage

• Argentina is facing a shortage of insect repellent due to the ongoing dengue season.
• The government attributes the issue to a “bottleneck” that will be corrected soon.
• The shortage began in March and was due to a forecast error and delayed manufacturing.

As Argentina prepares for its worst-ever dengue season, the country is grappling with a shortage of insect repellent. Dengue, a mosquito-borne virus that can be deadly or cause serious illness in some cases, is prompting heightened concerns. Although a vaccine for dengue has been developed, its rollout is still in early stages, leaving most people dependent on preventative measures to avoid the virus.

Residents are reporting that purchasing repellent is nearly impossible. Many supermarkets and pharmacies have displayed signs indicating that they have no repellent available, and in the few places where it can still be found, especially online, resale prices are astronomical. The government has attributed the problem to a “bottleneck” that they claim will be corrected in the coming days.

But many citizens, particularly in the capital Buenos Aires, are fearful at a time when hundreds of thousands of Argentines have already been infected.

The shortage of repellents began to be noticed in March.

According to sources from one of the companies that produce repellents in the country, the shortages were due to a forecast error, and manufacturing the product took months, as reported by BBC Mundo.

Minister of Health Mario Russo told Radio Continental that there was a “problem between supply and demand.”

Dengue, which is most common in tropical and subtropical climates, presents symptoms such as a high fever, severe headaches, swollen glands, and rashes.

On Saturday, the country’s health ministry announced that Argentina had reported 163,419 cases of dengue fever so far in 2024 and that deaths had been recorded in all age groups – with the highest mortality rate among those over 80 years old.

The ministry has advised people to avoid bites by using repellents and to seek medical attention if symptoms of the illness develop.

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