LIMA -- Peru officially announced a state of emergency on Thursday in the Amazonian region of Ucayali following a dengue fever outbreak which has already killed 10 people. Under the declaration of the state of emergency, affected residents must be given immediate treatment at healthcare centers and local hospitals, and all necessary measures must be implemented to ensure safety of the public in the affected areas. The measure will last for two months in the Ucayali neighborhoods of Atalaya, Coronel Portillo and Padre Abad. According to the Peruvian Health Ministry, over 2,000 people have manifested symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease. Such symptoms include high fever, rashes, headaches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and hemorrhage in extreme cases. Authorities have already initiated a campaign in the affected areas, urging residents to clean up containers and other items that can serve as breeding sites for the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes.

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