LIMA, June 10, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Peru has declared a health emergency in
five regions, including Lima, after the deaths of at least four people linked
to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the nervous
system.
Health Minister Zulema Tomas said Sunday that in addition to the deaths
there were currently 206 cases of the disease.
“We have an outbreak, there has been a brusque increase” since June 5,
Tomas said on state-run TV Peru, adding that health authorities were taking
steps to control and contain the disease.
While the syndrome is not contagious, a 90-day health emergency was
declared because the current cases “have unusual and atypical characteristics
that require rapid or immediate initial treatment,” Peru’s Institute of
Neurological Sciences said.
The precise cause of the disorder is unknown, but most cases develop after
a person has been sick with diarrhea or a respiratory infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US says its research
suggests that the syndrome is “strongly associated” with the Zika virus, a
mosquito-borne illness.
The regions affected by GBS include three on the country’s northern coast
— Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad — tourist destinations known for their
archaeological sites and beaches.
Also included was the central region of Junin and Lima, which has nine
million inhabitants.
Two deaths were reported in Piura, one in La Libertad and another in
Junin.