"Health officials have reported that a fever of uncertain etiology has killed 14 people in Peru this year. The illness, which doctors believe may be caused by a virus, has spread along Peru's northern coast, where torrential rains attributed to El Nino have flooded shantytowns and disrupted water supplies. Health officials say the resulting destruction and pooled water provides fertile ground for insect breeding and the spread of disease.
The 14 children and adults who have died from the fever were in the cities of Talara, Trujillo and Chimbote, said Health Ministry spokesman Jose Anicama. Before dying, victims experience high fever, coughing and diarrhea for up to three weeks, said Dr. Marcial Anaya of the state hospital in Chimbote, 225 miles northwest of Lima."
"[ProMED-mail would appreciate additional information about this outbreak. Perhaps our Peruvian subscribers can help us with a more definitive report."-- Martin Hugh-Jones <mehj2020@vt8200.vetmed.lsu.edu> on ProMED-mail <promed@usa.healthnet.org>.