In 2024, rates of Dengue fever broke record levels. In the first 8 weeks, there were 57,461 confirmed cases and 47 deaths, a 2,153% increase compared to the same period in 2023. By March, there were 233,000 confirmed cases and 161 deaths.

The rates skyrocketed due to the perfect environmental concoction for the Aedes aegypti mosquito: record high temperatures, wet weather, and densely crowded urban areas. In neighborhoods like Villa 31– one of the city’s largest slums, where streets are unplanned and dense– the risk of infection is even higher. With 11-hour waits at emergency rooms, the population needs effective solutions. The National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Technology (Anmat) does not have Dengue on the list of vaccinations this year. 

“The government argues that there is no evidence to prove its efficacy across all age groups and that vaccinating now would not combat the current outbreak, as it would only protect people from future outbreaks.”

This stance on vaccinations represents a broader issue with the government’s approach to climate change. Milei decided to downgrade the environmental ministry and has said that “global warming was a cyclical issue that would eventually pass.”