Peru is a Latin American country well known for its gastronomy and fantastic tourist destinations. However, the fact that so many people want to travel to Peru is one of the reasons why so many countries have started evaluating the risks for their nationals. For instance, the CDC in the U.S. emitted an alert and report on several diseases impacting Peru that someone might get when visiting. In that report, they ask people to be careful about where they stay and what they eat.

Some of the diseases listed are strongly rooted in poverty and lack of resources. This means that with proper help, information and resources could be minimized and stop being a threat to Peruvians and tourists. Here is information about the diseases impacting Peru.

Dengue

One of the most known diseases impacting Peru is dengue. According to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Peru is the Latin American country with the highest fatality rate. Before 2024, Peru had between 4,698 and 68,290 cases per year. However, in 2024, Peru experienced a sudden increase of dengue cases, rising to 273,847 people infected according to the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted through mosquito bites. Not all mosquitos bring dengue, but it is impossible to identify when one does. Dengue is highly present in communities with fewer resources. The lack of clean water distributed through pipelines makes people store it in open containers, which according to the Peruvian government, is the environment where the Aedes Aegypti mosquito lays down its eggs. Towns with heavy rain are even more vulnerable to dengue outbreaks.

Malaria 

Another mosquito-borne disease, malaria, while not as deadly as dengue, is still a problem the country is trying to tackle as fast as possible. The Peruvian Health Ministry declared malaria as an endemic disease impacting Peru, especially in certain areas of the jungle because of the presence of still water combined with biological materials. Peru has around 17,000 cases of malaria per year, closing 2023 with more than 22,000 reported cases.

According to the UNDP, malaria and poverty correlate; globally, malaria affects lower-income tropical towns and agricultural areas, especially if they do not have the proper resources to prevent the mosquitos from laying eggs, which requires the purchase of certain pesticides to prevent those mosquitos from growing up. Low-income households, especially farmers, do not have the budget for the right pesticides, insecticides or even the protective clothes necessary to prevent malaria. On the other hand, the United Nations Development Program explains how malaria not only is barely impossible to prevent for low-income households, but the treatment from the sickness drives families into poverty.

The Peruvian government already started implementing and funding programs to accomplish its objectives of reducing malaria by 90% by 2030. The “Eliminemos la malaria” plan started in 2022, and since then, the government allocated resources to take the following actions:

• Capacitate and educate medics and nurses in the furthest regions of the country
• Provide proper equipment and tests 
• Provide treatment medicines
• Monitor constantly the use of these resources

The Peruvian government reported a decrease in the number of cases of malaria in six regions of the Latin American country, all happening in just the first years of the program. Certain regions like Junín reported a decrease of 84%, while others like Amazonas decreased by 24%.

Typhoid 

Typhoid is a type of infectious disease that people catch when ingesting contaminated foods or water. It is mostly present in places without access to clean water and proper sanitation when handling foods. The Peruvian government reported that more than 3 million Peruvians do not have access to drinkable water and more than 6 million to not have access to sewers.

Typhoid is a disease impacting Peru that is directly related to poverty and the Peruvian government is working to address it by providing proper information on how to handle foods. The Peruvian government does not prepare a report solely on typhoid, but it includes it in a report for intense diarrheic disease, in which it had reported approximately 2,345 cases per year.

Tuberculosis

A disease that according to the Peruvian newspaper Peru21, is considered “the sickness of the poor.” Tuberculosis is mainly spread when people spend a lot of time in an indoor space. In Peru, approximately 30,000 people get tuberculosis every year. Thankfully the Peruvian government is taking measures to increase the early detection and avoid it from spreading. Peru is doubling the number of molecular detection equipment nationwide, which will speed the process for labs. The executive director of the tuberculosis department announced at the same time that her department will be conducting regular checkups in vulnerable areas, focusing on markets, to detect early tuberculosis outbreaks in towns far from cities.

The Bright Side

Since several of these diseases impacting Peru are strongly related to poverty, fighting them also means improving the living conditions for vulnerable towns. Several nonprofits are already trying to improve sanitation and bring freshwater to towns. The nonprofit Prisma, which originated in 1986, dedicates its existence to fighting inequality in vulnerable towns. It has implemented several projects to fight diseases that mosquitos transmit.

Water for People is another big nonprofit that has been working to bring fresh water to rural towns since 2008. So far, it has worked with regional governments to bring almost 100% fresh running water to three districts: Cascas, Asunsión and Reque. Lastly, Water.org has been working hard in Peru since 2013, it focuses on lending money through partner institutions so that several communities can access toilets, sanitary installations and water tanks. So far, it has been able to improve sanitation for more than 5 million Peruvians in addition to providing clean water.

Government Investments

At the same time, the Peruvian government is working hard to prevent the spread of several diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid and dengue, by informing people on how to avoid them and with early detection tests. By investing in equipment that is being brought to different clinics around the country, the idea is to decentralize the testing process of detection, making results available at a faster rate for local governments to react. The Peruvian health ministry is launching several campaigns, bringing volunteers and medics to markets around the country for regular tests on vulnerable populations, hoping that the early detection and training of communities will reduce the spread of these diseases impacting Peru.

Helping improve the living conditions of towns will not only save lives but at the same time improve the security for tourists from everywhere and reduce the chances of these diseases impacting Peru to impact other countries that never faced them.

– Luis Felipe Rios

Luis is based in Miami, FL, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash